Changing Motives
by Dairene Kezelghski
Summary: ACT I: Naruto swears to protect everyone that is dear to him. But what if he isn't a Konoha ninja anymore? Iwagakure's his home now and hidden motives are now starting to uncover.
1. Prologue: Bad Beginnings

**Author's note: **I've read the site guidelines and I solemnly swear that I do not own Naruto. All rights belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

This is also my very first fan fiction that I've decided to publish. Many have told me that I should prepare for something once this goes online.

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Changing Motives

**Prologue**** – Bad Beginnings**

An explosion started it all.

Konohagakure's Kage was doing her daily job when the low rumbling sound of the explosion had resonated from outside into her office, which made her look up from the papers and into the outside. Through the window, she looked impassively at the column of smoke that could be seen, its source coming from somewhere outside the village walls. It trailed to the sky, the black cloud dispersing into nothingness at its peak. As the village's leader, the Hokage knew that the happening required her to take some measures about it. Although in her mind was the accomplishment of the tons of paper works given to her, the village's safety must always come first.

"Falcon," Opening her mouth, her commanding voice sounded across the Hokage office, summoning an ANBU at her will.

The ANBU stared emotionlessly – due to the mask – as he waited for his order to come. Of course, he had the idea of what mission his leader would assign him, but he dared not to intervene with the Godaime's job.

Looking at the mask of the ANBU, Tsunade, Konoha's famed medic-nin and Sannin, inwardly thought to herself before speaking at the former. She was brought into a sudden trance of irritation, as she could not discern the emotion that was plastered behind the mask. She sometimes hated that she could not see the faces of the ninjas that served the village – even though she knew their identities. She knew that those people would do any missions that she gave, but there was actually a flinching feeling that came to her when she handed them their mission scrolls.

_Will it hurt I have the slightest idea of how they reacted to the missions I give them? _She asked herself, not minding if it would be answered or not.

Even though her sarcasm would always bring her to a point that she handed some missions to some ninjas not suited for the said mission just for her to watch the comical and priceless reactions of theirs, Tsunade had wanted to know – truthfully – if the ninjas approved of the tasks they received. It was just a thing that she and the whole world should have known from the beginning: if you like to do what you are doing, then you'll do your best to accomplish it. Since it was actually a principle at work, Tsunade had always wanted her ninjas to do their best, and that would be possible if she knew how the ninjas accepted their mission.

After reflecting for some very short time, she looked professionally at Falcon.

"I want a three-cell ANBU team to investigate that _immediately_. Report to me once it's done." Tsunade said, making sure that her order was simple, concise, and authoritative, for them to have the thoughts of finishing the mission in record time.

Falcon nodded and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Tsunade looked at the spot where Falcon stood, now with tired eyes. She suddenly dropped her shoulders and leaned at the backrest of the chair she was sitting on. Sighing as she cleared her mind of irrelevant thoughts, Tsunade re-focused her attention back to the stack of papers on top of the table, wishing that her saké was just some arm away for her to reach.

**

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**

Three hours after the explosion outside Konoha walls happened, _hell _broke loose just outside the village.

Tsunade had her eyes observing the fires that swallowed the forest just outside their safety lines. She swallowed; her thoughts were growing wild as she tried to send more people into the location. Although she was thankful at the very least; something had come as a reason for her to stop minding the stupid papers being handed to the Hokage. Shizune was now together with her in the room, watching the scene as if it was her who would be going to be swallowed by the raging fires.

"Tsunade-sama," she spoke, her mouth stuttering at the horror that was presenting outside their village. She couldn't help but to shake, since she needed to relieve herself of the nervousness that was growing bigger inside her. She was also afraid of the reaction of the Hokage, who was now in a full leader-mode for her to be serious in handling the threat. "I will now report to you the details of the ensuing fight just outside of the village walls."

When Shizune spoke, Tsunade actually tensed. The Hokage was in no mood to hear the reports, since she feared about the outcomes of the battle. She didn't want to hear more losses. She didn't want to hear about the deaths and _sacrifices _of the ninjas for the village. She didn't want to know how much the people had suffered, as this human events called 'war' continued to ravage their lives. But, even though how much she hated not to know those things, she was the Hokage, and she _deserved _to know those things. "Continue." Tsunade said even without looking at her apprentice.

"Approximately ten minutes ago, Team Kakashi had reported a stand down from the ninjas attacking from the western gate. Shikamaru, who had left an hour ago, reported the same thing from the teams that were guarding the wall at the right side of the gate. Information also came from Captain Yamato that after attacking in frenzy, ninja attacking the left side wall of the gate suddenly retreated for still unknown reason. Shikamaru had quickly ordered for our ninjas to strengthen the defense as time provided." Shizune reported the Hokage, feeling satisfied that her report came very brief. She knew the risk of briefing their commanders in a long time, since even the period in reporting was _valuable_ to their part.

"As expected from Shikamaru…" Tsunade almost said in whisper, but making sure the other woman with her heard her. "What happened to the attacking ninja wasn't just a retreat. I know it." She gritted, not liking the aura that was littering just outside the western gate. "Maybe they are planning for a final push." She then whirled and looked at Shizune. "I want you to call more of our ninjas to be sent as reinforcement in the western gate. Make sure the medic-nins tend more injured ninjas; we need more people to fight off this last attack. Do the clans of Konoha want to help us?"

"The lesser-yet-formidable clans have already relinquished all of their ninjas, while the Hyuuga has relayed to us that they will be emptying their clan to help with the battle." Shizune answered Tsunade.

"I'm glad." Tsunade answered. "I'm glad that all of Konoha will be helping us in this fight. You know what defeat means to us."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama." Shizune answered, looking at her Hokage with courage. "Once Konoha falls against the _Iwa _Crusade, then the ninja world will be thrown into chaos."

Tsunade nodded. The Iwa Crusade, as it had been named, was one war that Konoha feared to fail. No matter what, Konoha must withstand the attacking forces of Iwa ninjas. That moment, the ninja world asked of Konoha to do the impossible. That time, the remaining ninja villages and countries had almost pleaded to Konoha to defend itself against the attack of Iwagakure. At that time, Konoha would be the last bastion of force that could go against the might of Iwagakure. At that instance, it would determine the ninja power that could take on the whole world.

Because at that very moment, Iwagakure was one ninja village away from dominance in the elemental countries; Konoha was the last village to fall…

Tsunade, with determined eyes, finally decided that it was not the Hokage's job just to observe the fight from a tower that kept her safe. She came to a decision that it was now her part to help the people to their safety. It was now the time for her to go out from the confines of the Hokage Tower and to march to the place of battle. After all, if it was the last – deciding – wave of that fight, she would be glad if it was her to personally rally the ninjas loyal to Konoha onwards to victory.

After thinking, Tsunade removed her cloak and threw them away from her, sticking to the clothing that she had grown to wear in her wandering years. Shizune tensed when her Hokage began walking to the direction of the door. "Tsunade-sama, where are you going?!" The distress could easily be discerned in Shizune's voice. Tsunade glared at her apprentice, looking curious as to why Shizune _was not _knowing what she was doing. When the eyes that settled into her began throwing some silent statements, Shizune's own widened in surprise. "You're going in there?"

"Shizune, I'm tired of watching." Tsunade said.

"But you're safer here!"

"Move it, Shizune! What kind of Hokage wishes to be safe when his people are sacrificing their lives just for the safety of their leader?! A Hokage was chosen to lead and to _serve _the people of Konoha! If Konoha needs saving, then I am more than willing to save the people from harm!" Tsunade shouted as she gave her reason to Shizune. Not wanting to have another moment of someone stopping her, Tsunade quickly trod and almost pushed Shizune away from the door. As the words get deeper into her mind, Shizune's mind open slightly, and then she said, "Wait, Tsunade-sama! I'm going with you!"

**

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**

"What do you think, Shikamaru?" A deep but soft voice suddenly asked the late teen at his nineteen year-old age, bringing the latter into surprise that almost made him jump from atop the wall he was standing.

"Troublesome Kakashi." He was able to say, masking the tone of surprise in his statement. "You shouldn't be surprising me." He sighed, and returned his attention into looking at the distance. He was scanning the battlefield just outside the walls of Konoha, looking at the burnt trees that were included in the fight. He began to close his eyes for a moment, and thought deep once again.

"I forgot; you are thinking." Kakashi said lazily as he too looked at the area in front of him. He knew that beyond the still living thick groups of trees were the Iwa ninja hiding their presence from them. If he had just the capability, he was willing to attack all of those ninjas with all his force to finish that particular skirmish. Yet he felt so weak and disappointed to himself for not being able to stop the attack of Iwagakure. With that, he could only feel annoyed towards that ninjas that were, maybe, also looking at them. He hated them for the fact that they were confident to know enough that Konoha would not retaliate at the time they retreated; they knew that Konoha couldn't stage a counterattack because they had been inflicted a lot of damage. Kakashi growled under his mask, cursing their adversaries. And he hated the other villages for being so weak to stop the rampage of Iwa.

"Kakashi-senpai." Another voice called from behind them, earning the newcomer Kakashi's lethargic look. "I don't want to disturb you, but I just want to relay that the teams placed in my post have been reinforced back to their earlier strength. They are now just waiting for another wave to come." Captain Yamato – but _Tenzo _for Kakashi – had a neutral look on his face. In that particular moment, Captain Yamato's ANBU instinct had told him to wear an impassive face, as his ANBU mask would show. That day he needed some seriousness, and he was glad that he was ANBU in real life. "How goes the ninjas of Konoha?"

"The western gate ninjas were the ones facing the greatest attacks from the opponents, so many damages was reported from them. However, we have planned to put our strongest ninjas there, so I doubt that they would be weak to go through another attack." Kakashi told his fellow shinobi. "Shikamaru had been always ordering the other ninjas in his side from the beginning until the end of the last wave, so I'm pretty sure that the ninjas in his post are still prepared to handle more attacks." He gave a weak glance towards Shikamaru. "Can I ask you know?"

"I can offer no more thoughts but that Iwa ninjas are getting ready for the final assault." Shikamaru told the adults with him.

"That is what I also think, Shikamaru." A female voice sounded from behind them, which gathered the attention of the three shinobi. They were surprised to see Tsunade in the place of battle, but they didn't forget to give respect to her by simply bowing to her.

"Tsunade-sama, what are you doing here?" It was Kakashi who asked first.

"To help; are there any other reasons beside from that?" Tsunade sounded pissed when she instantly discerned the underlying message in Kakashi's question. She knew that Kakashi meant '_You-should-be-in-the-Hokage-Tower-and-protecting-yourself, right?_' and it irritated her much. Keeping her patience a lot higher than normal, Tsunade evaded the single looking eyes of Kakashi and looked at Shikamaru who stood in hunched shoulders. "What are we going to do now, Shika?"

"Defend, of course." Shikamaru replied. "If this will be the final assault, then they will give us their all. It's up to us to accept that 'all' and to fight for our success."

"A simple plan you have."

"Most of the thinking will come in the middle of the battle, Hokage-sama." Shikamaru responded.

After some seconds, Shizune appeared just beside the Hokage. She was taking deep breaths and was holding a clipboard. "Tsunade-sama," she was able to call the Hokage and began looking at the papers that were attached at the hard-enough board. "I've looked at the medical tents as you requested. It seems that there are very few deaths among our ninjas."

"What do you mean?" Tsunade asked, not understanding the point that a skirmish between two ninja villages getting a few death toll.

"I've seen the patients myself; it seems that the Iwa ninjas just _incapacitated _our ninjas for them _not_ to be rendered hostile enough to be dealt with. The worst injuries were highly life-threatening to civilian's point of view but can be handled easily with more concentration from a medic-nin. Most of them are conscious and reported almost the same thing." Shizune said, a frown forming in her face. A sweat dropped from Tsunade's head, rolling into her cheeks as she interpreted Shizune's frown into something that meant bad.

"What did they say?"

"The Iwa ninjas are holding themselves back; meaning that they weren't in a serious attitude when they were fighting our ninjas."

Tsunade gasped in what Shizune told her. _Holding back? _She began to ask herself. _But they were able to let me assign more reinforcement to help the first defenders and there were still holding back?_ He looked nervously at Kakashi, who quickly saw the anxiousness in Tsunade's eyes. He too was surprised to know that the Iwa ninjas weren't in their full force when they attacked. Tsunade tried not to stutter when she talked to Shikamaru. "Shika, you do know about that, don't you?"

"No, Tsunade-sama. I wasn't able to know that they were holding back." Shikamaru said apologetically, looking stunned at what Shizune said. If it was true, then it was indeed _troublesome _for them.

"Messenger bird from the _enemy_!" One of Konoha's ninja shouted, garnering the attention of the ninjas talking on top of the walls. Their fear of what could happen next upon the knowledge of the strength of Iwa vanished suddenly when they heard a peculiar warning from one of the ninjas. Of course, no one tried to kill the bird as it flew towards the people atop the walls. Tsunade and the group looked apprehensively at the flying bird, their thoughts of a second attack crumbling into nothingness as no new thoughts came to replace the former.

They knew the moment that when a messenger bird was flown into them from the enemy, an impending attack would be immediately stopped; what ninja village would warn their enemy that they were going to attack them soon?

The messenger bird dived from the sky and landed in one of the post that line the passable parts of the wall, waiting for the people to get hold of the paper tied in its foot. Kakashi, since he was the one nearest to the bird, quickly snatched the rolled paper tied to it and let the messenger fly back into safety. Stopping the urge to be the one reading the content, Kakashi hurriedly handed the paper to the Hokage. Tsunade grabbed the paper from Kakashi and opening it as if the paper was going to be ripped because of the sheer force the sannin was using just to read it.

Tsunade scanned the paper, seeing the symbol of Iwagakure – a smaller rock in front of a bigger one – at first then finding that it was just two sentences and the sender's name that were written in it. As soon as she was able to put her concentration into the simple statements, her eyes widened in surprise, as the meaning of those words penetrated her mind. Too shocked from reading, Tsunade wasn't able to relay the message to the other people waiting for her to speak up. Not minding if the Hokage was going to shout to her for what she was going to do, Shizune snatched the paper from Tsunade and read the contents loudly for the other ninjas with them to know.

"Meet me at the center of the battlefield. Alone." Shizune looked curious at first and then went in bewilderment as she read the last word in the paper. "_Tsuchikage_." As Shizune read the name of the sender, the trio of men with them looked distressed. They all shot a look to Tsunade, still waiting for her to do the final decision for all of Konoha's sake. Tsunade saw the eyes that were almost scrutinizing her; she adjusted herself and stood straightly again, making her face looked stern.

"We'll comply."

What Tsunade said brought the other ninjas to their feet.

**

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**

Tsunade waited for the visage of the Tsuchikage to appear from the distance before she did her walk too. She was standing just in front of the western gate, still being guarded by Konoha shinobi. Actually, a vein was popping in her head, an urge telling her to punch and crush the Tsuchikage once the two of them were in the center of the field. She wouldn't care about the sudden retaliation of the Iwa ninjas if they saw their Kage being hurt; all what she caring for was that she could destroy the man that brought the Iwa ninjas into their strength.

But she hated it that she was a proud shinobi of the leaf; she would only attack the enemy if the latter was the first one to do so.

The Tsuchikage was now out of the shadows of the trees, his figure now seen from afar. Tsunade snarled when she found out that the kage was wearing a cloak that hid most of his face. And then she went curious. _No one was able to know the identity of the Tsuchikage who replaced the retiring Ōnoki_, she thought as she watched how slowly the Tsuchikage walked into the clearing. _Iwagakure went too much distant as well when the new Tsuchikage arrived to replace the older one_. The train of thought continued. _Not even some of our allies and spies near the Earth Country have any idea as to the identity of the new kage. _She started walking as well and she didn't know how many worried eyes were looking at her.

Some ten steps after she started her stroll, Tsunade stopped suddenly when he saw another cloaked Iwa ninja appeared behind the Tsuchikage.

_What the…? I thought he was coming alone._ Tsunade growled as he saw how distrustful the enemies were. As she observed from afar, she saw the Tsuchikage turned to his back and looked at the ninja who followed him. Even though she could not discern any words from that distance, Tsunade knew that there were some bickering happening with the kage and the ninja, as he saw that the former were almost throwing his hands in some kind of disappointment. Even though she didn't want to believe her thought, Tsunade let the impression form inside her mind. _Maybe the Tsuchikage was true that he wanted to do this alone_.

After a minute after the Tsuchikage dealt with the ninja, he returned walking the centers as he flashed his hands in front of him. Tsunade saw that the kage was flashing a single finger in his hand, and she knew the implication as soon as she saw it. _He wanted me to bring with me a ninja_ _too_, she thought. _Although, I must also only bring one, just like him._ She shot a gaze at the tall wall of the village of Konoha, scanning the faces that looked at her to find for the features of the man she knew could protect her when needed. When she finally saw the image, she called out in a loud voice, "_Kakashi_, come with me!"

With no more questions asked, Hatake Kakashi – known as Sharingan Kakashi to his enemies – abide the call and quickly jumped from the wall and landed softly in front of the Hokage. He stood up and placed a hand in his kunai holster, preparing himself to protect the Hokage when the threat comes. As motioned by Tsunade, the two of them started walking to meet up with the Tsuchikage.

As they walked, Kakashi was just focusing his attention to the ninja that accompanied the Tsuchikage. He knew that Tsunade would be able to deal with Iwa's kage by herself, and so it was his job to protect her from the assault of the enemy's companion. Actually, it was a risky action that the Hokage had chosen – it was just like the theory that Shikamaru put up, that a final wave was going to be the decided point. At that moment, the same imagination would apply, only that the resolve would be decided by the villages' leaders themselves.

_It's the head against the head,_ Kakashi thought, still eyeing the companion to the Tsuchikage, _and we will finally know who has the harder one_.

Finally, the two kages met in the center of the battlefield, an aura of killing intent flew around them. The stillness of the scene had made the ninjas in both sides swallow in nervousness. Would that be the point where the fights were to end…?

"Tsuchikage, I ask of you to stand your forces down." Tsunade was the first one to talk, wanting the banter to end as fast as possible. "Even though how much you try, Konoha will not fall because of you."

"I see." The Tsuchikage answered. The voice of the former had brought some kind of awkwardness to both Tsunade and Kakashi. When they heard his voice, they knew something was different about it. "Still have the capability to ask of us to stop when it's obvious that you can't handle more." The Tsuchikage told it flawlessly that he was able to put doubt into the feelings of both the Hokage and the ex-ANBU beside her. The Tsuchikage chukled darkly. "You know, I should be the one asking you that."

Tsunade sent him a glare of murderous intent.

"Hokage, please _surrender _for the sake of the good citizens of Konoha." He said and continued. "Believe me; we don't want to hurt you anymore. We just ask you to stand down, and I promise you that the bloodshed will end instantly." The Tsuchikage told the Hokage.

"A war is not made without the idea of hurting the enemies." Tsunade replied sharply, disbelief forming on her mind. She couldn't believe that the Iwa wished not to harm anymore the people of Konoha. _For what?_ She thought. _In replacement for surrendering to them?_

"Then we will gladly reshape that idea of war, dear Hokage." The Tsuchikage answered. "As you can already see, we are now talking diplomatically and I don't want to involve weapons of destruction anymore."

"The more blatant the intention is, the more we should distrust it."

"Very well... I feel that you don't believe me since you have no idea of who I am." The Tsuchikage finally realized, looking at Tsunade under his cloak.

Tsunade just looked at the Tsuchikage as the latter slowly removed the hood that covered much of his face. He actually bowed so that he could pull the cover easily. When he knew that edges of the hood touched his forehead, he quickly pulled them and revealed some color of hair that was almost of rare feature in the elemental countries.

As soon as his visage was finally revealed, Tsunade and Kakashi could gasp in deep surprise. The scenario never appeared in their mind. Tsunade finally dropped into her knees as soon as she saw the true image of the man who was just known as the Tsuchikage. Kakashi was just able to drop his weapon to ground, a loud 'clang' from the metal brought Tsunade slightly back to her consciousness.

"N-Naruto…?" Her voice was hurt, and so as her face.

The man with the blond hair and cerulean eyes stared impassively at the woman whose knees met with the ground. He then shifted his gaze to the grey-haired man who was just gaping at him as if he was a ghost from the grave. He shrugged off the surprised stares from the two and continued talking. "As I said earlier, Hokage, will you surrender for the sake of the people of Konoha?" He approached the woman closer.

Even though still astonished with the Tsuchikage, Kakashi was able to discern a threat when the man started walking nearer to Tsunade. He quickly got a kunai from his holster and placed himself between the Hokage and the Tsuchikage. "Stand back! I know you are not _Naruto_! So drop the stupid henge and get back!"

The Tsuchikage was startled when the ninja stood at his way to defend his kage. Before he could open his mouth to speak, someone from behind him began to spoke words.

"Kakashi, get away from Tsuchikage-sama." The voice was stern. "This is a talk between kages, and you musn't intervene. Slowly, the companion removed the similar hood the Tsuchikage wore. "Or do you want to fight with me?" After saying that, pure black orbs stared at Kakashi, his long black hair dancing with the wind as it howled through the battlefield. His face was emotionless.

"Sasuke." Kakashi could not discern the emotion he must have.

"Now, Hokage." Naruto talked to the woman. "Shall we let the talk to continue or do you want Konoha _destroyed_?"

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- **End of Chapter** -

This story took me days just for me to formulate a simple sentence that will be part of the plot. I will be honest: updating this story will take me a very long time because I chose to create this story in the light that my days are going to be busy as..._ hell_ (?).

Thanks for taking time to read this stuff.


	2. Son of the Village Hidden in Rocks

**Author's Note: **I'm a first time dedicated writer for a Fan Fiction and I know my grammar... _sucks_ (?). I'm sorry for it and I'll try to improve my grammar the next time.

I do not own Naruto and all rights are reserved to Masashi Kishimoto.

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Changing Motives

**Chapter 2 – Son of the Village Hidden in Rocks**

It was an odd fact that most of the people in Iwagakure would wake up in a certain time, as if someone poked them whenever it was time.

It was also hard to keep up with that fact, since it seemed taboo for the people there not to wake up in a specified time. The questioning part was that no one dared to inquire with that matter, but the point was that the citizens of Iwa had almost never minded that phenomenon in their lives. Yes, it wasn't a complex thing to be really thought about, but most of the people had begun to build it inside their system, time becoming the foundation of their works. In Iwa, it seemed that specificity in time was one of the most important things to be noted. Once you neglected time, you would be meeting eyes that glared at you until you die.

The hardest part was that they go up at 2 hours before the usual sunrise – at 04:00am in the morning.

A teenager opened his eyes for almost no reason, staring at the stony ceiling that first met his eyes. His mind was urging him to return into his deep sleep, telling him that he needed more rest for the time being. But in Iwa, people couldn't just deny the call of time, and so his body obeyed the trail of time and pushed him off the bed. Putting himself in a sitting position, he slowly turned his head at the alarm clock placed on the top of the side table near the bed, looking at the time shown by the thing.

He was narrowing his eyes, the orbs of sight still unaccustomed to the dim light upon waking up. _Three… Three… _He yawned, stretching his arms up. _Three-fifty-nine… _He closed his eyes for a while, reflecting about the simple knowledge he learned from the clock. His eyes suddenly widened in surprise, staring again at the clock. _03:59am?! What the…?! _Suddenly, annoyance filled him.

He finally stood up from bed, letting himself a full body stretch for the morning. He sneered at the present dimness looming outside the window, looking disdainfully at the stillness from the still dark morning. He was already cursing the village for imposing him some time regiments that he wasn't accustomed to, and he knew for sure that the village's peculiar habits were going deep inside him. He wasn't just a morning person – and outside it was _very _morning. Even though he had lived in Iwa for more than a year now – almost two years in fact –, he still hated the fact that he needed to go early in the morning. _Really, I didn't expect that there is a village that wakes up earlier than the sun…_ He yawned and finally decided to do his morning rituals.

Throwing himself into the bathroom, the man quickly removed his clothes and threw it into nowhere, noting to himself that he _must _remember to wash his clothes if he had the time. As he let the _cold _water of the morning – yes, he didn't mind the temperature anymore – to run into his skin, the man started to think of the missions that would be handed to him. Even though he had the ideas, he was still oblivious if his guesses would be correct. Their current Tsuchikage wasn't just as predictable as most Kages were.

He sighed, defeated that his mind couldn't still show him an image of a mission that would soon be available. Upon sighing and his mouth opening, he was able catch water into his mouth. When the water touched his gums and teeth, a _sharp _pain caused him to wince and suddenly held his face in pain. He smiled, and thought, _I really have forgotten how cold the water is in the morning. _He continued to splash himself. _But I'm glad that my teeth and gums are still sensitive enough – _hell, _it is like _ice_!_

Of course, almost two years there and the village encouraging the Iwa citizens to endure the coldness every morning, the man had grown comfortable with the regiment.

Finishing his shower, the man took a towel and put it around his waist, going out of the bathroom and taking a walk back to his room. He was glad that the apartment he was staying at was just enough for him. Even though the receiving area and the kitchen were almost in the same room already, he liked it that way – it didn't bother him to walk some _short _distances. He looked first on his bed, checking if he had prepared his clothes. Realizing that he had been too excited to take the morning shower, he forgot to prepare those. He sighed, going to the closet just on the right side of his bed.

_What will Tsuchikage-sama give me for now?_ He was asking himself as he sorted the clothes that were available for him to wear. _Last time, he had sent me to Iwagakure borders to finish some Jounin-ranking missing nins that threaten our citizens there. _He sighed again. _I wish he give me an A-rank mission for now…_ Deciding that he would indeed begin to wash the clothes that he started to dump a week ago, he was left no choice but to wear the standard Iwa ninja uniform, although what he had was the one with long sleeves in both arms, than the sleeveless ones, that he wore under his vest.

He took the dangling forehead protector on the side table beside the clock, putting it around his left arm and tying it tightly. He breathed in deep and mentally prepared himself for another day. As he stepped out of his room and approached his living-kitchen room, he knew that breakfast would come later and he continued walking out of his apartment.

It was now 04:30AM in the dark morning, and the man inhaled the inhuman cold that his environment released. Looking at the rocks spires that were turned into towers that could be lived at, the man smiled at the small wonder that Iwa citizens had did from the past. Being tied with the earth element, Iwagakure had prided itself in transforming their rocky, mountainous, and desolate place into their homes, carving large stones into houses and buildings.

It was indeed another day.

**

* * *

**

Before really setting out to go and meet the Tsuchikage, the Iwa ninja thought of how he would go the place.

Was he going to walk or jump on the roofs of the stone buildings?

It was an irritating question for most shinobi because it was a _silly _question. Almost everyone who had their lives tied into doing business in the ninja world knew that _stupidity _wasn't a good thing in the field. And even in the field, no ninja would want to dare comprehend with stupidity. If he was together with another Iwa ninja and unfortunately heard him, the ninja would rather enjoy being crushed into two large rocks. The man was glad that there weren't just available rocks to be used for the jutsu in that particular part of the village.

_It wasn't a stupid question_, the shinobi reminded to himself. _I just wanted to _visit _Iwa once again_. _I guess I'm talking a walk._

He took his point into acceptance since no one was available to argue with him. The Iwa shinobi himself knew that he had been always away from the village, since the Tsuchikage seemed to want to challenge the capabilities he had on the field. So when Iwagakure's Kage decided that the man was accepting more missions that weren't healthy for a regular ninja, the former had barraged him a stack of mission scrolls, an amount almost similar to a heap of paperworks a Kage would receive for a day. From that point on – almost thirteen months ago – the Iwa shinobi was seeing less and less of Iwa from the day he had stepped foot out for his missions. That was why he decided to walk instead of moving at a faster rate.

The Iwa shinobi had no qualms in walking through the not-yet busy streets of Iwagakure. Dawn was just about to show, although he discerned that most people were already up inside the homes. Even though the cold winds were still relentless since the sun was yet to be seen, the man gladly walked through the street, enjoying the silence that the setting provided. As he reached the portion of the market, he had seen some people already setting up their places. When the people noticed the ninja walking there, they had an emotionless face staring at the latter. The man wasn't surprised by this; it was sarcasm that brought into the minds of the people living in the ninja world that had compared the personality of Iwa citizens to stone – thus, the blank faces.

"Good morning, _Naruto_-san." One of the market people took the time to greet him. The blond shinobi smiled to his fullest, scratching the back of his head as he felt some pressure building in the place.

"Good morning." He answered, still smiling, feeling awkward since he couldn't remember the man's name. "Haven't seen you for a while."

"I should be the one telling you that, Naruto-san." The man said. "Doing so many missions, I guess?"

"Yeah. I was unaware of it, but I've almost not been going through here for almost thirteen months now." Naruto answered, looking at how the other people prepared their stalls for that particular day.

"Thirteen months?" The man sounded in doubt. He then smiled weakly at Naruto. "It seemed that market really makes me feel unaware of the time too."

"I know." Naruto said and then taking note of the time. "Well, it's time for me to go; I need to meet the Tsuchikage. See you soon!" He waved goodbye as he proceeded into walking to the direction of where the Kage's office was located.

As he walked off, he still continued to smile. Man, he was able to strike a conversation without even remembering the other man's name! Even though with that, Naruto still was able to enjoy taking walks into the streets of Iwa. Even though the people would not seem to smile often, Naruto knew that they were trying to be accommodating as much as they could.

That was the reason why Naruto was glad to take a walk there. People noticed and greeted him there as a normal shinobi citizen… not like the one he had in the _past_.

He then shook his head vigorously, imagining that it could take out the memory of the past. He needed to shift his attention to the present and the _future_. And that would be Iwagakure.

Iwagakure was famed for having ninjas with an attitude similar to a rock – unyielding when it comes to an order and would do everything for it to be done. Iwa ninja was indeed fearless, only until someone from the higher-ups would want them retreating. According to history, there was a person that had been branded, so that the Iwa shinobis knew that if they encountered that person, they should _run _away.

It was the Yondaime Hokage. The Fourth Hokage of Konoha. A man that was able to destroy a ninja squad without being scathed even a little bit.

But then, that was history. Iwagakure could just always choose to be stronger than to be depressed into a man who had already died. It was widely known that in defeat could be found a greater lesson than five successes combined. It was in failure that one could find the flaws.

"_Naruto_-senpai!" A female voice quickly greeted the blond shinobi as soon as he was seen walking at the road to the building where the office of the Tsuchikage was. Naruto grinned sheepishly when he heard the energetic voice from the kunoichi. He smiled because even though how much loud and how many times he had been hearing his name in a similar fashion for more than a year, Naruto couldn't bring himself to be irritated with that. Inside him, it felt that there was some people who would really be waiting for him and shout out his name without fail every day. It always warmed him on the inside. Then he chuckled afterwards, since he knew what words would come after his name was called. "You're _late_!"

Surprised that his musings had brought him quicker to the place, Naruto looked up to see the woman who had called her from above. "Hey!" He replied. "How would I suppose to live in a village whose meeting time is an _hour _even before the _set _time?" He gathered some chakra into his feet, and jumped towards the second floor roof that jutted out from the tower, and then proceeded to the top floor of the five storey building.

"Is that how you should greet the people you haven't seen for seven months?" It was a male voice that interrupted in the talk.

"I'm sorry, Moko-niichan. It's just that I'm still not yet familiar with how you people take time here." Naruto looked at the male who looked at him. "Oh-yeah, there are people that I haven't seen in thirteen months, so stop whining, niichan." He then faced three people who he met on top of that tower. Naruto started talking, "Sumi-chan, Moko-niichan, Nebi-kun," Naruto gave each one a curt nod. "Ohayou! How are you all doing now?"

**

* * *

**

"I never thought having an A-rank mission would be that hard, Naruto-senpai!" Sumi said in an energetic tone, swishing her hands in random directions, as if her hands could tell the whole story for her. "But I was glad that the enemies were water-natured!" She flashed a smile to Naruto.

"Water will be defeated by Earth, I guess." Naruto said. Of course, it wasn't a guess; it was a shinobi's knowledge about Chakra natures.

"Yep!" Sumi answered. Sumi was a kunoichi of chuunin rank, a sixteen year old woman of boisterous and loud nature just like Naruto. She was younger by some months than Naruto. She had a straight dark brown hair, typical of the Iwa brown to black spectrum of hair color that she left untied, letting its length reach her shoulders. Good thing about her hair was that it was silky smooth, which gave her no problem in movement at all. In contrast with her hair, Sumi's eyes were natural light brown, a color that could clearly show the emotion that she held at simple glance. Her lips were subtle, although it appeared beautifully against her slightly-rounded jaw. That made her look… _cuter _for her age.

"You should have seen her expression before she knew that she could defeat the enemy due to her nature." Moko talked, snickering as Sumi turned red in embarrassment. "Her face almost shouted that she wanted to be back with her mommy…" He continued to tease her even though Sumi was already throwing kunais to him.

"Moko-niichan, stop teasing Sumi-chan before she kills you." Naruto said, chuckling as Moko used Nebi as a human shield against Sumi's attack.

Moko was a nineteen year old male. When Naruto first met him, he had called him 'Moko-san', which slightly irritated Moko. He seemed not to like it when people called him as if he was already an adult. That was why he allowed Naruto to call him his 'niichan' instead of treating him as a more adult person. Moko was an example of how Iwa ninja was supposed to be; even though not yet in his twenty's, Moko was of muscular build, his face retaining the figures of an Iwa – brown hair, brown eyes and angular jaw. Even though he indeed looked old with the features, many girls actually considered him appealing, since it was his smile that carried most of his looks.

"No, senpai!" Nebi started to talk. "You should tell him to stop teasing Sumi so that she will _not _kill _me_!" He told Naruto, as he dodged a very sharp and pointed kunai being pierced towards Moko at his back.

Naruto went nearer to the group that aimed to _hide and kill_. He just pulled Nebi out of the killing equation and threw an arm round his shoulder and continued to watch the murderous scene that Sumi and Moko was playing. "Hey, why do you always bring Nebi-kun into a deadly situation?" He chuckled. "You know, we should always protect _our precious _one from harm…" When he said that, Nebi turned irritated and got away from Naruto's side. Sumi and Moko just laughed at Nebi's antics.

Nebi was the most different among the three. He had a silvery-brown eyes and silver hair, which reminded Naruto of _someone_ he wished did not survived in his memories. He was different from Moko, even though he was just a year younger. Instead, Nebi seemed to retain most of his teen image – a rounded face and eyes that were oddly wide and more circular. But his young face didn't put him down when put into a certain situation when most of his enemies taunted him for looking like a kid; among the three, Nebi was the strongest and most intelligent. Although he still subject himself to the plans and ideas of Moko.

"I'm starting to doubt now why I was able to call you 'senpai'." Nebi said to Naruto. "Moko and I are even older than you!"

"Let's just say that you call me your 'senpai' out of respect and experience." Naruto answered.

"That is what I doubt, _senpai_; you seem not the type of respectable people." Nebi put up his point.

"Is Nebi-kun being _grumpy_ again?" Naruto didn't mind the insult just thrown to him by Nebi. He just knew too much how to turn the situation always against Nebi, and Naruto would always enjoy the look of defeat on the teen's face.

Nebi just ignored Naruto's statement and turned his face away, which earned him the laughter of his two teammates.

"By the way, about your recent mission…" Naruto sounded curious and was unaware that his voice had an odd tone in it. "Have you been briefed why ninjas that specialized in water-jutsus appeared in our borders?" He asked them, his curiosity taking a higher step by asking the information from his fellow shinobi.

"Why do you ask, Naruto-senpai?" Moko asked the other chuunin. "It's not uncommon to find ninjas who specialized in water jutsu walking around Earth Country's borders."

"Moko-niichan, I know about that." Naruto answered. Reflecting briefly, he knew he mustn't tell the trio about the things that had been bogging his mind. That was the part that he needed to meet with the Tsuchikage.

Naruto sighed as Sumi, Nebi and Moko noticed that there was something different with their senpai that very early morning.

**

* * *

**

"Good morning, _Ōnoki_-sama." Moko, Nebi, and Sumi bowed simultaneously at Iwagakure's current Tsuchikage. The latter gave the trio a tired gaze before putting them at ease. With one _old _look at Moko, the already young adult knew what his Kage wanted, and hurriedly gave the mission report that he made when they returned to Iwa. He said to him, "This is the brief of what happened. A second report scroll will follow."

The Tsuchikage made some grunts of approval and nods of satisfaction as he read the scroll that Moko handed. After finishing the whole thing, Ōnoki looked at them and gave them a small smile. "As expected of you, Team Obsidian; you've had another mission success." As he hovered his gaze to the three members of the team, he was slightly surprised to see Naruto standing just behind Nebi. "Naruto, you're here already." He said in a serious tone.

"Yes, old man. I was expecting that you could have at least felt my presence." Naruto answered in his nonchalant voice and smiled at the Tsuchikage.

"Naruto-senpai!" Sumi hissed to the blond shinobi. "How many times will I tell you to respect Tsuchikage-sama?!"

"It's all right, Sumi-san. Naruto is right; I am indeed old." Ōnoki admitted it and smiled fully, not minding if the smile went bad in mixed of his old facial features.

"See?" Naruto said in a comical tone. "Tsuchikage-jiji is _already _wise enough to admit the truth!"

Three kunais were suddenly thrown to where Naruto was standing. Ōnoki just laughed at the sight that was happening in front of him.

"Tsuchikage-sama," the three member of Team Obsidian chorused, and looked at each other, feeling that all of them had the same thoughts. A curt nod from each one and it was Moko who spoke for the group. "Tsuchikage-sama, even though it is against our feelings, we thought that it must also be better if Naruto-senpai is taught of _respect_."

"Moko-niichan!" Naruto had an outburst.

"It's alright, Moko-kun; I'm fine with Naruto's disrespectful behavior." Ōnoki said, smiling gently as he looked at Team Obsidian and Naruto exchanging murderous glances and killing glares.

"Tsuchikage-sama, don't spoil him!"

"Isn't it that you are here just to hand me your reports?" Ōnoki said, finally silencing the noises that began just because of Naruto's behavior in front of him. Really, he couldn't understand why Team Obsidian was treating their senpai's behavior as a grave matter than needed an active solution. There was nothing wrong with what Naruto was doing; in fact, he enjoyed the fact that there was someone in Iwagakure that was lively and loud – he'd been so serious in the past since the village was so dull. Wasn't it time for something to _change_?

He hated youngsters at first – until Naruto _changed _his perceptions.

Well, that was almost two years ago, and he was now enjoying the company of the blond shinobi.

"Hai, Tsuchikage-sama. This conatins the more technical parts of the report, the explanation and words from some Jounins of Iwa." Team Obsidian answered. Sumi handed Ōnoki the scroll containing their reports. She looked at Moko, silently asking if they were going to brief their superior while he read it from the scroll. While Moko stared at her, Ōnoki rose his head up from the scroll and looked at both of them, answering the question that was so discretely asked.

"The mission parameters slightly changed from what we have been brief of. According to the mission brief, the rogue ninjas that we're supposed to finish were only composed of twelve people – four groups, since they follow a three-man group. When we arrived there, we were ambushed by another group of the same number, until we found out that most of them were Chuunin level. That made us able to finish them easily.

"When we faced the targets, after them being alerted by the ambush group, we also found out that three them were Jounin-level." Sumi paused for a while, looking at her superior if there were some changes at Ōnoki's facial expression.

"But since, there were Jounin mostly water-nature, you were able to defeat them." Ōnoki told it for them, finally closing the scroll given to him. "I suppose you have something that they have to show me."

"Sorry, Tsuchikage-sama, but like our _earlier _missions, the groups seems not to carry any scrolls or orders for us to know what their _real _goal is." Moko answered back.

"That was partly expected." Ōnoki said.

Team Obsidian cringed at the statement, feeling somehow defeated since they weren't able to meet the real mission objective, which was to obtain the information regarding the goals of the rouge ninjas that started to populate the Earth Country's borders some months ago.

"Team Obsidian, thank you for wiping out another group of threats that looms just beyond the country." Ōnoki told the group. "You're dismissed for now. Take your rest and be prepared to have another mission. Expect messages requiring your immediate presence."

Team Obsidian bowed in front of the Tsuchikage and vanished in thin air in seconds, the famous 'poof-ing' sound heard and the swirl of clouds seen. When Naruto felt that the team's presence were beyond their capabilities to hear the two of them, the blond shinobi finally grimaced, alerting the attention of Ōnoki.

"Ōnoki-sama," Naruto called. It triggered the Tsuchikage to go to his serious tone, complementing Naruto's sudden earnestness. "I'm worried for Team Obsidian's safety if you are to send them for another mission involving the rogue ninjas that inhabits the borders."

"Why is it, Naruto?"

"The last mission you gave me was able to give me some _information_. I didn't write a report as you ordered. Like them, my mission was to clear the borders of those ninja and discover their real objective. I discovered a camp, which I do not expect from rogues. I don't have a choice but to destroy it. But, even though it contained some rogues that were competent enough to take down unknowing patrol ninjas of Iwa and some low-class missing-nins in our Bingo Book, they seemed not to posses any information regarding their presence in the borders." Naruto told Ōnoki, who was nodding at some points in Naruto's words.

"You told me that you got something."

"I discovered _this_." Naruto said, getting something in his pocket and handing it over to Ōnoki.

When Ōnoki saw the item, his eyes widened in surprise, shooting a dubious gaze to Naruto, as he waited for some explanations. "Is this _real_?"

"The source was alive before I took it from him." Naruto answered.

Ōnoki nodded, making some mental notes in his mind. "Alright," he said, clearing some space in his brain for him to be able to talk some other matters to Naruto. "I consider your concern over Team Obsidian – their just chuunin, after all. I'll not assign them to the rogues anymore." He looked at the time and returned his attention to Naruto. "Call Team Obsidian tomorrow; I'm giving them another mission."

* * *

- **End of Chapter** -

For those who have the idea, yes, I returned some time back to the past before the event in the prologue part ensued.

Another chapter done. I'm wishing that I can write more than what I can think; I've got some ideas but I feel lazy whenever I start writing them.

Sorry for the wrong grammars and thank you for the time reading this fic.


	3. The Mission

**Author's Note: **From here, updates will really take a long time. Thanks for reading, by the way.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. Masashi Kishimoto has still all rights reserved.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 2 – The Mission**

Naruto suddenly opened his eyes, already demanding for a reason why he had to.

As if already scripted and had been taken into his head, Naruto raised himself from the bed, putting himself into a sitting position. Slowly, he turned his head to the alarm clock to know what _ungodly _time was it that he had awoken at. Narrowing his eyes to clearly see the image from the intelligent human invention known as clock, Naruto tried to make out the meaning of the image laid in front of him.

_Three… Three… _He yawned, breaking his first attempt to discern the time. _Three-fifty-eight…_ He returned his gaze in front of him, analyzing in his mind what he had just read. It took him almost nine and a half second for realization to take place. _Three-fifty-eight?! _He shouted in his mind. _What on this world is happening to me?!_ He stood up; the opposite of what his mind was telling him. _Damn! Even my body continues to resist me! _After already accepting the defiance his body did, Naruto sighed at the ever-dark mornings that he _must _grow accustomed to. Inability to adapt would lessen his chances of survival.

"For a ninja, dying because of waking up a bit earlier than the last is just unacceptable." He was able to say aloud, but not minding if someone would hear him or not. The stone wall of his apartment in one of those rock towers in Iwagakure was so thick that it had become soundproof.

Since everything that he had been doing in every morning was already as good as memorized in his mind, Naruto did every morning rituals of his as if he was a dead person walking without any consciousness at all. He only felt that he had finished everything if he already reached out and touched the soft fabric that held the metal plate of his forehead protector, muttering a small 'oh' as if nothing happened at all. He tied his forehead protector on his left arm, as he would whenever he was not in battle or in the battlefield.

_Yup_, he began to talk in his mind again. _I need to meet Team Obsidian since the Tsuchikage ordered me to_. He gritted his teeth when he _remembered _that there was something to do, because he recalled that once upon a time, many people just expected him _not _to remember something of good purpose. _Damn those people…_ He was able to add in his thoughts.

Naruto wasn't just the _idiot _person that most knew – in the _past_. No, Naruto wasn't a complete _dead last _or _stupid _or _idiot _as others knew of him. In fact, he was a brilliant mind waiting to be polished more than better. He was an _idiot _in the eyes of the people because that was the thing he chose. He was a _dead last _because that was his mind told him to be. He looked like _stupid _because he knew better than anyone else that no one would ever _mind _him if he showed them that it was merely impossible to make an agreeable contact with him.

Before his mind could dwell in deeper inside his memories, Naruto slapped his cheeks looking outside the window to throw away his worthless contemplation of the _past_…. or whatever. It was the past, of course, which he kept denying inside himself even though his memories were vivid. But to Naruto, the past was simply a reminder of how _those people _wrecked his life. The past was something that couldn't haunt him. Today he was in the present, and everything around him was as malleable as he wanted; forging a better future was easier than going through the life of murderous intent against his life of determination.

"Ready for the new day…"

**

* * *

**

"Naruto-senpai, it seems that you're a _minute _earlier than yesterday." Moko quickly commented, as soon as Naruto reached the spot where they also met that day before.

"Well, I woke up a _minute _earlier than yesterday, Moko-niichan." Naruto answered, smiling a big grin to the trio who stood in front of him.

"But I thought that your place is just a ten minute _jumps _and _hops _away, Naruto-senpai?" Sumi inquired, some tracks of irritation still present on her face.

"Well, you see I was already preparing my things before I go when I realized that my forehead protector is missing. I rearranged the things in my place, so I ended up coming here at a longer time than the calculated time." Naruto explained, some twitches in his face suggesting that he was rummaging into his pool of reasons. The frown on the faces of Team Obsidian implied steady disbelief, prompting Naruto to a conclusion that he had ran into the pool of idiotic reasoning in the dump of his mind. _Stupid reasonings… Kaka_–– he stopped in his trail of thoughts, putting a glare of anger to himself. It was already his pact to _himself _never to bring up any person in his mind, even though their names. He was suddenly snapped out from the collective physical realm called reality, to the dark recesses of his mind called thoughts. He cringed; his face becoming a portrait of anger, hatred, and loneliness combined.

Team Obsidian quickly saw the change in Naruto's face, urging them to speak up and inquire about what Naruto was thinking. "Naruto-senpai, are you alright?" Sumi asked.

Naruto unhurriedly turned his gaze to the dark-brown haired kunoichi, his eyes already lost its vibrant blue and turned into a deep ocean of nothingness and dullness. Sumi almost jumped in surprise after realizing how Naruto could tell something different in his self just by his eyes. She cringed, hesitation followed, which brought her into an instant silence.

After seeing Sumi being quieted by his eerie silence, Naruto suddenly felt cold in his heart; he knew that Sumi didn't want to see him looking like a creepy source of coldness and awkwardness. _No, I shouldn't let myself be affected by petty memories_, he tried to smile inwardly, only to fail. His attempt to show a physical smile didn't fail him, although it was obvious in Nebi's eyes that it was a fake one. Naruto was a master of parading some masks and smiling widely was one of his best. The questioning gaze of Nebi reached him, which almost sent a message saying 'You're faking it.' Naruto grinned wider, especially at the grey-haired boy, 'I know. Just play with it.'

"I'm fine." Naruto answered.

Nebi sighed. _He's indeed a very stubborn person…_ He began to talk. "Naruto-senpai, actually, we already expected you to come by here since we both know that all of us will not be having missions for a while. Do you want to relax a bit with us?"

_Very good, Nebi_, Naruto thought. "Actually, I didn't come here because I want to relax; I came here by _purpose _to meet you and tell you something."

"What is it, Senpai?"

"The Tsuchikage calls for you." Naruto said.

"WHAT?!" A loud set of voices replied to Naruto's calm one. Each of them suddenly glared daggers to the blond shinobi, which in turn became the source of laughter for Naruto. Seeing how the people in the team reacted released the tension building inside him. He continued to chuckle until the glare of daggers turned into stares of katanas. "Why didn't you tell us immediately?" Another statement was thrown. "It's because of your 'being-late-attitude' that delayed us from an important message."

Naruto just smiled at the complaints, thinking of the real reason why he was late – not that he was really to attend a real briefing – for the viewpoints of Team Obsidian. Actually, he didn't do his ninja walk – the leaps and hops in roofs – because he felt the need of walking in the streets of Iwa at the moment. With the decision made, he began to walk again at the streets of the village. Upon walking, he met another man that he failed to remember the name but still being able to strike a conversation without stating at least the _name_. He ended the talk and proceeded to where he was now.

* * *

"Tsuchikage-sama!" Team Obsidian made a bow of apology that almost let them touch the floor with their foreheads. "We're very sorry for reporting very late for the mission briefing. _Someone _was in a delay to relay us the message you've given." They didn't dare to look at the face of Ōnoki, feeling that their Kage could kill them with an eye glare.

_Ouch_, Naruto thought, looking at Ōnoki for some help for explanations.

"Team Obsidian, be at ease." Ōnoki told the team, earning for himself some curious looks from the three. "Apology not accepted," he said; frown was all that could be seen forming in the faces of Obsidian. The Tsuchikage sighed. "Apology not accepted because you haven't done anything wrong. Don't worry for being late; actually, I was surprised to find you here coming so early than I expected."

"We thought that you relayed a message to senpai for us to be called into your presence?" Moko asked.

"I did." Ōnoki answered. "And I told that to Naruto yesterday, meaning that he could call you at any times he want at this very day." The team was preparing to hurl another question of protest when he waved them off and talked again. "I know; you thought that I ordered it _today_, which would make the message be branded as 'Please acknowledge immediately.'"

Team Obsidian flushed in red, embarrassment filling them up. The Tsuchikage cleared his throat and it gathered their attention. But before he could speak up, Naruto intervened in the conversation.

"Ōnoki-jiji, now that I've assembled them to you, can I now go?" He asked, and Team Obsidian's eyebrows twitched upon the title given to their Tsuchikage.

"No, Naruto; I need you for _another _mission." Ōnoki told him, a sly smile forming in his lips.

Naruto growled. "You're becoming devious as years pass, Ōnoki-jiji."

"I know that if I ask for your presence, you will just come five hours after the order comes to you. But I also know that you value the missions being given to Team Obsidian because you believe that they can accomplish it in no time, therefore you help them with it by telling them my order _immediately_." He rested his elbows on his working table, interlacing his hands and placing his chin on it. "That's why I made sure that you give the order to them, so that I can see you _earlier _than you usually are." He was finally able to break a larger, grimmer smile.

"Fine," Naruto could only say, feeling defeated because Ōnoki outwitted him for the moment. "I suppose another mission after some tiring months and coming back just two days ago will not hurt me."

"Tsuchikage-sama, we understand your sarcasm to Naruto by putting him into a barrage of missions that will not let him rest, but…" Moko was talking nervously. "I don't think we can handle another as big as just the one we finished just two days ago..." He looked at the Tsuchikage, his eyes still fearing not to look straightly at the eyes of his superior and his older leader.

"Don't worry, Team Obsidian, your mission this time is a B-rank in the _right _purpose." Ōnoki told them. "Your mission is to escort one of our ninjas to the northeastern border of Fire Country until you return together in Iwa."

Team Obsidian – in any way, matter, and form – was shocked to hear the mission being given to them by the Tsuchikage. Since sternness was one word that accompanied Ōnoki when handing over missions, nobody from the team was able to complain about it. They just looked at the Tsuchikage with some doubt if they could do it without _sacrificing _the rank of mission attached to it.

"Ōnoki-jiji!" Naruto suddenly burst, looking irritated by the way his face scowled to the Tsuchikage. "That is not a B-rank you're giving them! It's an A-rank mission on the wrong side of the field!" He pointed his fingers to Team Obsidian. "I'm not underestimating them – if that old look of yours you are giving me is telling me – but you must understand the gravity of the mission you are giving them!"

Moko slapped his forehead with the sudden speech of his senpai. Nebi just shrugged off Naruto's behavior, since he was already familiar with it. Sumi inwardly smiled because there was someone inside the room who had the guts to stand against the Kage's order with the reason that they could also tell with confidence. But there wasn't just any confidence in Iwa that could go against the Tsuchikage's will.

"I know you're worried for them, after all, they are still chuunin." Ōnoki answered. "But I know that they already at low-jounin level; I was already preparing to raise their ranks once they accomplished their mission I gave them. I know you are also – wait, I'm still speaking––" Ōnoki waved off the already launched mouth of Naruto "––considering the fact that their safety will be compromised. But, I tell you this, they didn't become ninja so that they _will _not face the dangers of this world." He gave Naruto a serious glance. "You know about that, right?"

Naruto hesitated to answer and just nodded to the Tsuchikage.

"Don't worry too much about them. They are just escorts – or maybe reinforcements and allies, as I suppose – to help the ninja I will send. By the way, I trust that ninja's abilities to achieve success in this mission and grant the safety to Obsidian as well." Ōnoki told Naruto.

Before Naruto could pose another question concerning the identity of the ninja, Ōnoki started talking again, now focusing his attention to the blond ninja. "Alright, Naruto, time for your briefing." He inspired for air before continuing. "Your mission is to retrieve a scroll from one of our associate living undercover for some time now. I need you to get the information collected for a long time now without compromising the identity of that associate of us." Ōnoki talked for more. "You are to go to the northeastern border of Fire Country to meet up with…" The words of the Tsuchikage seemed to blur in Naruto's ears, as his eyes widened in sudden realization of what the kage had planned from the beginning, maybe even before them stepping into the cold floors of his office.

The implication was well shouted inside the room.

"HELL NO." Naruto was able to mutter.

**

* * *

**

Team Obsidian observed warily at Naruto as the latter sped up his jumps through the tree branches that served as their paths in going to their specified mission point. They could not believe how much of Naruto changed when he knew that he was going on a mission together with a _team_. They couldn't understand why Naruto was not minding them as they ventured together in two missions intertwined almost to one, which required their full cooperation. Lately, Naruto was defending them from the mission that the Tsuchikage gave them. Now, Naruto wasn't minding them, almost giving them the impression that the blond Iwa shinobi was wishing for them to be caught by the enemy.

Team Obsidian glanced at each other, throwing among them some silent questions that seemed they didn't want to ask verbally. It almost looked like that in the silence that shrouded Naruto in his simultaneous jumps through the dense trees, one word was enough for a trigger for the blond shinobi to put a silent slit in their throats.

_Goodness_, one of them sighed. Team Obsidian couldn't make it for one day without Naruto talking for them for almost half a day already!

They suddenly tensed when Naruto stopped tree-jumping and turned around to face them. They stopped to meet up at the spot Naruto indicated them to come.

When the team was gathered, Naruto took a glance to each one, his face and eyes emotionless. It took years of _intense _experience for a ninja to remove his emotion from his face and it would probably take one kage-_ship _of age and experience to learn how to erase an emotion even though present with some _allies_! The blond shinobi pulled out a rolled paper from his vest, opening it out on the ground for all to see.

It was a map of the ninja countries that spanned some area still not yet known how specifically vast.

"As indicated by this forest that we are currently taking in, it seems that we have already entered the territory Kusagakure, the Grass Village. We should be more careful in taking this path since the village is allied to Konoha; therefore they are also aware of the enemies that Konoha has." Naruto pointed the spot southwest to the drawn borders of the Earth Country. "It will take us three days to cross the village since exposure of our presence is just deemed not an option in this mission. I've already asked the Tsuchikage that if we are compromised just even here at Grass Village, we will return without questions and protests being raised. Is that understood?" Naruto gave them a stern gaze. Team Obsidian only nodded. Naruto's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "I said," he began to talk again, "is that _understood_?"

"Yes, sir." Team Obsidian hastily answered.

"Now, we will traverse the border of the Fire country in the north portion, us edging the borders of both Takigakure, the Waterfall Village, for the next two days and Otogakure, for the subsequent three days. You will notice that we are at a slow rate, but still covering for speed. Crossing the Takigakure-Fire border will not be that hard, since Konoha and Fire and Takigakure just seem not to have something against each other; patrols will simply be inefficient to put in an almost steady situation the three posses." Naruto was pointing at the land northeast of Kusagakure as he explained their path at Taki-Fire border. He then slid his finger to the village right of Takigakure. He started to explain again.

"Otogakure is known to be a village hostile to Konoha. I will expect a hard time if we navigate the exact border of Oto-Fire, since the place seems to be always filled with patrols coming from both Oto and Konoha. I planned for us to go deeper into Fire's territory." Naruto ended when Moko raised his hands to ask a question.

"Naruto-senpai, will going deeper into the territory of Fire not compromise our mission?" Moko said.

"No, Moko-niichan." Naruto said; Moko inwardly thanked Kami-sama for the blond shinobi retaining his calling of them. "Konoha is far… _friendlier _– I should say – than the rest of some ninja who are against us. We walk into their territory without breaking a fight and acting suspiciously. I know some patrols will spot us, but we'll just hand them over some fake identities." Naruto explained him.

"Why don't we just henge our forehead protectors into one that belonged to Kusagakure?" Sumi suggested. "I've read it once in the books; it seems that the alliance being professed in both Kusagakure and Konoha is likely to be the steady peace that has stayed between the two village for a long time now. It means that their alliance is stood only by their harmonious lives with each other, not actually a pledged alliance by paper and blood." She looked at the people in front of her. "It means that the patrol may ask of us our identities but not our _registration numbers _for possible tracking; it will hurt their stance with Kusagakure."

Moko nodded actively at what Sumi was saying, while Nebi was having doubts in his mind but still accepted Sumi's explanation as good. Naruto just looked impassively at Team Obsidian, the depth of his eyes seemed unfathomable to the sight of the Iwa-nins with him.

"Sumi-chan, your side was well explained. It's a plausible action, but I doubt we will attain success even at a twenty-five percent chance." Naruto said blatantly that Sumi focused her attention more on the negative statement of Naruto's comment to her than the good one.

"Sumi-chan," Naruto called her, holding his temples as he assessed how the woman took his words to her. "The only thing you've overlooked in your proposition is that using the Kusagakure forehead protector will be the very thing that tells us who we are." Three sets of eyes looked at him at the same time. "Let me explain. First of all, I don't want to underestimate the patrols being sent by Konoha. Sumi, you suggested to henge our forehead protectors to the ones similar to Kusagakure – that is technically unsafe since patrols being sent always look out for the chakra signatures, not by how someone looks. Casting a henge to the forehead protectors will basically put chakra into the thing; that will lead the patrols to be curious why the forehead protectors seemed to possess some chakra." He sighed. "That'll lead to a blow to our cover." He gave a small glance at Sumi. "But you are correct in the other aspects; Konoha will honor Kusa's secrecy since their alliance is of living in peace for a long time now – no documents and policies signed with each other."

Naruto stood and turned his direction east. "I'll provide everything for our cover; it's a three day journey in Kusa, and we have a lot of source for our identities."

Team Obsidian looked at Naruto. They shuddered at the blonde's statement about the 'source' he just talked about.

**

* * *

**

After two days of travelling under the shadows in Kusagakure, Naruto and Team Obsidian were able to go out across of the village border. And in that span of time and some grueling questions hanging in the air, Naruto was able to provide himself and the three Iwa-nins with him new identities and a real-enough forehead protector of the Village Hidden in Grass. Once they were breathing the air that stayed in the territory of Fire, Team Obsidian was giving Naruto a death glare, which the blond shinobi wasn't minding at all.

"Naruto-senpai, can we now ask from where did you get these things you've given us?" Nebi asked, which startled Sumi and Moko, and caught the attention of Naruto. It was rare scenery that Nebi himself started a conversation; much more that it was a question.

"Will you die if you don't know?" Naruto replied.

"Senpai, crediting on how much information each of us knows is vital for the success of the mission, is it not?" Nebi asked Naruto, challenging the blond shinobi with his knowledge. "If everyone is just aware of everything, then every action we will do goes on smoothly. It's a natural fact of cooperation." Nebi told Naruto.

"Nebi-kun, the amount of knowledge a ninja possesses to help his village is directly proportional to the amount of damage he can give to his own village." Naruto glared at Nebi. "The more you know, the more the enemies will know of you and your village. Do you think of risking our village just for you to know what _I am _doing to _my _mission? Yes, I want to point that fact." Naruto put the glare to Nebi's other teammates. "We have separate missions. The one's assigned to you is to escort me, not to bother me in my own mission." He started jumping into the trees again. "Now, do your mission if you don't want to fail the Tsuchikage."

Team Obsidian was left in the clearing with their mouth hanging open in shock. There was no way in the ninja world that the person they were escorting was the Naruto they met at Iwagakure.

What happened to Naruto? They never knew Naruto could be that _cold_. For them – and they didn't want to admit it – it was already traumatic to see a sudden change in behavior with the people they knew. And it was Naruto – the only person they knew that could easily disrespect the Tsuchikage without fail.

When Naruto felt that Team Obsidian wasn't moving from their place, Naruto stopped tree-jumping and returned to where the team was standing.

"Alright, before we proceed to go deeper into Fire's territory for the next days, we'll camp in the trees in the next nearest village here."

Team Obsidian couldn't answer.

* * *

- **End of Chapter** -

This chapter is actually some words shorter than the first two.

I've warned you: updates will come late from now on.

But I promise I will not leave this on hiatus or end it hanging. I've decided to finish this no matter what.

Thanks for reading and sorry for my grammar.


	4. Of Spies and Information, Part 1

**Author's Note: **Since there were people telling me how they like me writing in , I was inspired to quickly finish the next chapter.

Warning: This chapter is kinda... I don't know...

I sacrificed finishing my Pharmacology because of this.

Please review?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto and all rights are still reserved for Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 3 – Part 1: Of Spies and Information**

It was evening by the time Naruto and Team Obsidian reached the village not far from the borders of the country that harbored Kusagakure and the Fire Country. It was the third day of their travel since they'd got out from the borders of the Earth Country and the first two days of those were spent in evading the eyes and ears of Kusagakure as they traversed its territories and borders.

Of course, Naruto was particularly happy that he and Team Obsidian had travelled across the country where Kusagakure sat a day faster than his estimate. Actually, he was thinking that they would reach the Fire border for four days, since he was still on his thoughts that the team with him could slow them all down. Well that went guilt to his side as well, underestimating the only Iwa Shinobi team that he cared among all of those in Iwa.

There were many things that Naruto was thinking at the moment he and the others walked casually to enter the village in a normal fashion. Thoughts that were giving Naruto a whole lot of worry as night began to grow and the sun dimming into nothingness. He was praying inside his mind that night should never come for that time. After all, nighttime was the worst time for them to encounter an enemy.

The first thought he was having, as he observed the people in the village, was that they shouldn't be in that particular place for the moment. He knew that he was the one who proposed to have some rest in the village, but it was because he had no choice but to cool down the emotions that lingered among him and the team. The thing that he did in Kusagakure without the knowledge of Team Obsidian, which was the reason for the sudden impassiveness and slight resistance being raised by the latter, was one thing that gave him the chills and instinct that for them to leave the place immediately.

He would not admit it to Team Obsidian, but at least he could recount it inside his head. _Alright…_ He talked in his mind. _I _killed _some Kusagakure patrol to obtain the shinobi registration numbers, some names, and the forehead protector I gave them_. And that was the very reason why he kept on looking at the faces of the people that stood and give them some narrowing glares and insulting looks. Naruto feared that Kusagakure would soon discover the disappearance of one of their four-man team patrol that they would send everytime in their borders.

And that would put the eyes of Kusagakure to them.

_Must get out of here…_ Naruto suddenly filled his thought with the statement, and then it became a mantra that lost him his coordination in his walk. _Must get out of here. Must get out of here. Must get out of here. Must ge_–– his train of same worded trail of thoughts stopped when he bumped into Nebi who stopped walking when they finally found a perfect spot for them to stay and rest.

When Nebi felt that Naruto's body seemed to have rammed him, the older boy glared at his senpai, which triggered the blond shinobi to refocus his thoughts on the present matter.

"Sorry, Nebi-kun. I was kinda spaced out." Naruto quickly apologized.

"Yeah, whatever." Nebi answered, telling himself not to talk anymore to the one-hell-of-a-ninja-who-has-some-weird-mood-swings. He looked back to his teammates and they started talking about what room they would rent for that night and what they would do at night in that village. Naruto just looked hurt when Team Obsidian seemed not to mind him.

_What is wrong with them?_ He asked himself.

"Senpai, we'll stay in this inn; some people said that it has cheaper rates than the rest. Just ask information about us to know what room we picked." Moko said at Naruto, even without looking at his face – he was staring at his senpai's foot. As soon as the trio had given them their words, they started to jog inside the inn where they would rest for the night.

Naruto wasn't able to have the time to mutter a silent 'okay' to his team, since the three sped inside without waiting for any affirmation from their senpai. He continued to stare at the entrance of the inn for almost five minutes. The wooden frames of the big sliding door weren't a very good spot to look at and some small paper lamps illuminated the rest of the walls of the small inn. There were still light inside, of course, but it seemed that the owner of the said inn wanted to retain a very traditional look of his place in the outside. Not that Naruto was admiring the designs though; he was staring at that direction, but his eyes weren't just focusing. His mind floated adrift into some consciousness that he couldn't discern from reality. It was inside him, but it was just trance of nothingness on the right side and a trench of darkness on the left – a place where he seemed to go whenever he felt something bad.

Nothingness was the word that Naruto knew whenever he was sad and alone.

With all the few people left that he considered precious and those fewer that regarded him important, Naruto felt that one loss from those people was a disaster – a living nightmare where he could not just wake up to remove it from his mind.

Few were the people that Naruto had had.

What would be _fewer _than few?

When he lost one, he felt like he lost his all.

Alone. Nothingness when he was sad and alone.

A cold feeling.

He was a ninja. He didn't need to feel sadness.

He was human. He had been a person who was alone from the beginning.

He was a ninja. Put mission first over anything.

What he knew was correct. But what he was doing was wrong.

"I HATE THIS!" Naruto suddenly shouted, attracting the attention of the people that were either walking in their own ways or just standing for a while, chatting with others as they let time pass. The blond shinobi didn't mind the indignant stares that were being shot against him. He knew he could just disregard those unimportant gazes whenever he wanted to. He had done it in the past, hadn't he? He was the master of ignoring the deathly glares and he would even shield himself with his mighty smile that rivaled the sun.

He wouldn't mind them that time – his frustrations would go first.

With a final grunt, Naruto decided that a place where many people stayed wasn't a good place for him to vent out his feelings. He started walking out from the spot where he had made his scene, going into some alley where no one would see him. When he knew no one could observe him from some distance, Naruto jumped to the roof of the building beside him, observing the small village from atop the roofs.

_What is wrong with them? _He asked again in his mind, an answer not being expected at all.

_We are on a mission, and I expect their full cooperation with me… But what are they doing; ignoring me like that?_ Naruto continued to tell in his mind, wishing that there was someone he could talk to.

"This is insane!" He yelled, ruffling his hair with his both hands, as if he was a madman trying to cling to his hair because it was the last link to his sanity. Naruto looked at the sky, looking at the dark sky that was already dotted by the stars. _Damn those Kusagakure ninja who will discover the lost of their comrades… Damn them if they plan to search for the reason of their disappearance… Damn them if they try to go here… _Naruto was fuming. _I don't care if they go here. I'll blast them to hell itself! _Naruto then stoped thinking, his eyes widening as if something surprised him so much.

_What am I thinking? _The voice in his mind was softer than the last one. _Why am I letting my composure down?_

Naruto seemed not able to comprehend things that were happening around him, and it pained him to see Team Obsidian not minding him.

He was the reason behind it, wasn't he?

The realization was painfully blunt.

**

* * *

**

"_Akatsuki _has been moving once again."

Naruto's eyes became bloodshot when he heard the statement while he was roof-hopping in the village they were in. He suddenly stopped moving, putting his glance to where he had heard the sentence. When he finally able to discern the source of those words, Naruto began to observe two ninjas started to walk inside to the pub. One was silencing the other as they neared to their destination.

Naruto gulped. He never heard anything about Akatsuki for three years now.

He subconsciously touched his belly, feeling some force seeped out from his very stomach.

He decided that he needed to know more about it.

Upon the rooftops, Naruto performed a henge into himself, making himself an older man of age thirty. He had lazy looking eyes and angular jaw with small beard he grew into a goatee. He jumped down from the roof, which did not surprise the people who were walking near the pub the two people he saw entered.

Naruto gave them a lazy look, and proceeded inside the place.

As he entered the place, Naruto was slightly confused that the two people he saw were actually ninjas that came from Konoha itself. He never imagined that Konoha would be stretching their patrols up to the near borders of Fire itself. If he had the chance, Naruto would quickly deal up with the two. But since necessity sided to the fact that Naruto needed to gain the information the two possessed, he suppressed the idea of _handling _the two.

He walked slowly inside the pub, throwing glances at random people as they observed him come. He was very glad that the henge he performed was almost perfect – he layered more chakra into the form he did, masking his chakra signature so that no one could feel his energy as 'hostile.' With what he did, he seemed to be a normal ninja by Kusagakure standard. He walked and sit himself at the stool that was located some two chairs from the two Konoha ninja. He ordered the barman some sake, which he would not really drink.

To hell with the people who invented the alcoholic drink.

The village where Naruto and Team Obsidian were located was a non-ninja village but still allied to the Fire Country. Non-ninja villages didn't possess ninja themselves, but they would frequently be seen populated by ninjas that came from different ninja villages. It was a neutral ground for shinobis from different countries, although in war this policy would change. Still making himself to appear as an ordinary ninja just looking for a small drink, Naruto tried to focus on the conversation just at his right.

"You should not be talking of a class-A news outside the village walls, much more in a commoner village such as this one." The ninja, who Naruto saw silenced his companion from earlier, said.

"I just couldn't shake the thought, Masao." The other one replied. "And we are the patrol at the border where Fire meets with the other countries with their own ninja village."

"That's the danger, Toshiyuki." Masao answered, taking a small gulp from the alcoholic drink in front of him. "For Konoha."

"Well, that's because you're the selfless Konoha-nin that will do anything for the village, Masao." Toshiyuki answered.

"You should act more like me, you know." Masao retorted.

"Whatever." Toshiyuki replied, drifting his eyes on the stack of sake jars and some foreign drinks lay in the bar, tempting the pub's visitors to take a taste of each one of them. Knowing that he could not afford all of them, he resisted his urge and instead focused on the sake he and Masao was drinking. "Masao, do you know more news than I do about _Aka_?" He shortened the name into a recognizable two-syllable word for Konoha-nins, and to some extent some other ninja from a different village.

"From the sound of your voice and the looks in your eyes, you seem worry about them." Masao looked at Toshiyuki, calculating the latter of his thoughts and feelings. "Don't worry too much."

"I've got a firsthand experience of _them_." Toshiyuki told Masao, his eyes burning in some levels of vexation to his partner.

Masao looked hesitant at first; still looking at the defeated face of Toshiyuki who he knew was one of the most carefree ninja he knew. He sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you."

Toshiyuki stared at Masao and waited for him to start speaking.

"According to some reports being transported to me, Aka is on the move since it had finally captured another of their targets." Toshiyuki said, staring at the sake he was drinking. He idly touched the rim of his cup, reaching into the depths of his mind to find the proper information for him to tell. When he seemed to find the most important part in his memory, he faced Toshiyuki and gave him a stern look. "_Jiraiya_-sama had told the Hokage that Aka is now going for _One-tail_."

Naruto almost jumped from his sit when he heard the term from the two Konoha ninja, trying to suppress his urge to look at them and show them how shocked he was about it. For the success of the mission and the safety of Team Obsidian, Naruto had calmed himself down, swallowing in whole the implication of what he learned. _Gaara…_ He thought, as his grip into his own sake cup tightened under his sheer strength.

The blond shinobi – an unknown ninja for the moment – bit his lip, inwardly cursing the fates and destinies that seemed to have wanted to destroy the peace in his life. As the Kazekage, Gaara should have the proper information about the present threats that littered the ninja world. One of those – for sure – would be Akatsuki. Naruto didn't distrust how Gaara can and even the whole Sunagakure – which started to grow some likeness to the Jinchūriki of the One-tailed demon – protect themselves, but he feared if they could _survive _an onslaught by Akatsuki.

_Gaara, I want to help you… _Naruto said to himself. _But, with my present status, I don't think I simply can. _He was just staring at a certain spot in the pub, but his mind weren't really focused on where his eyes drifted. His thoughts were swirling and began to build an army of actions and conclusions. _Damn… He may not even know what _happened _to me…_ He grunted silently, towards the Konoha shinobis near them. _As soon as everything goes well, I will _damn _deal with all of you_.

"I hope _Egret _goes here to report more…"

Naruto suddenly stumbled in his seat, surprise quickly overtaking his manners. _What in the world––?!_ He asked in his mind. _Don't tell me that these two are ANBU!!!_ He then stood up from his sit, leaving his payment for the drink he bought on top of the counter, still trying to walk slowly out of the pub.

He knew those two were ANBU as soon as one name was said. He knew that it was only _them_ that used animal-coded names for their members. It was only _them_ that could use those names at ease and without awkwardness.

And he just blew his _damn _cover because of a knowledge he already knew from the beginning.

Taking a quick glance back at the pub, Naruto sighed and jumped out of nowhere.

**

* * *

**

Nobody just reacted like _that _whenever one was alone.

You wouldn't just jerk up in your seat that you were able to capture the attention of all the people in a big room for no apparent reason at all. You just wouldn't make a scene, unless you were there with someone. It wasn't just an acceptable fact that you made a fool of yourself in the middle of too many people. _Unless it was a distraction…_ Toshiyuki thought.

_Or he just knew something that is surprising…_ Masao was having the same thought as his partner.

When two thoughts from different minds swerved falling into some reasonable conclusions, two sets of eyes looked at each other with such fierceness that could shake a wall down. It wasn't because they were a having a deathly glare match. No – it wasn't for that petty reason. For some ANBU squads who created their own signals to communicate silently, the stingier the eyes shown to one meant the more important the silent message being relayed.

They stood up from their seats and paid for their drinks.

That night, they weren't going to have fun over drinks.

**

* * *

**

There was a silent battle that happened above the rooftops of that village.

Naruto ducked, evading three shuriken that was thrown to his direction. Regaining his stature and having the idea of where to go next, Naruto concentrated some chakra to his feet and then jumping at some distance. Before he could land to the next roof, he was met by a flurry of kunai aiming at his body and onto the roof where he would land.

_Nice… nowhere to land safe_, Naruto thought to himself. Naruto revealed a kunai of his own and put some of his wind-chakra into the blade. Before the metal weapons could pierce him, Naruto swung his kunai against the danger, his wind chakra throwing the flying kunai into some different directions. He landed safely on the roof, putting his hands together in a familiar ninjutsu stance.

"Blade of Wind!" Naruto cast his ninjutsu, summoning some waves of deadly wind going against the fist ANBU that landed near him – Naruto recalled him as Masao. Knowing that no one could just simply evade those cutting winds, the blond shinobi smiled as he imagined the next scene in his mind.

The ANBU looked surprised when something hit his body without him knowing it. He just jumped into that roof, in hopes that he could quickly capture the tired, lazy-looking, and _average _ninja that was also a susceptible man who was surprised to find them as ANBU. He stared at the shinobi that cast the ninjutsu, before poof-ing out of existence and being replaced by a small piece of log.

_I expected that_, Naruto thought, dropping a kunai into his feet before jumping into another roof.

As soon as his feet left the roof, hands suddenly burst out from the tiled cover trying to reach out for the body that had already evaded its grasp.

As Naruto floated in mid-air from his launch from the rooftop, he made some seals with his hands, inhaling a huge amount of air. "Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Missile!" A huge stream of fire came from Naruto's mouth, going into the direction of the ANBU who was climbing out of the roof. The latter could only see the line of fire that was going to incinerate him.

"Water Release: Water Pistol!" Toshiyuki appeared in front of Masao, and cast the ninjutsu against Naruto's fire jutsu. A jet of water came countering the blaze of fire; the two opposite nature fought savagely with each other. As soon as the water was winning and extinguishing the fire, Naruto knew that it was worthless to continue releasing the fire and stopped his assault.

He landed on the roof, rolling to his side to parry another water pistol that was cast against him.

"Spiraling Wind Ball!" Naruto was able to cast when he ended up standing after his roll.

A kunai went against the almost invisible ninjutsu Naruto cast. Naruto thought that the attack made was petty, since no kunai would be able to withstand the force his jutsu had. But then surprise was against him – when the weapon _luckily _struck the wind ball, it dissipated in mid-air. Naruto's eyes widened in surprise; there was no way in the world that could happen!

"Masao, Toshiyuki, it seems you have found yourself a very worthy opponent." Some voice began to form from the surrounding air, as a body 'poof'-ed in existence.

Naruto was very glad that he hadn't dropped his henge when he fought off the two ANBU that tried to follow him. He could just stare at the newcomer with some much chagrin and irritation, his mind trying to betray him by pouring him some thoughts of the past. The blond Iwa shinobi scrutinized the new figure, the grey hair that defied gravity and grew uncontrollably out from his head putting much hatred inside Naruto. The man wore a mask that covered much of his face, revealing only his right eye, an orb of laziness that stared sleepily into everything laid in front of him. The man wore the standard Konoha ninja uniform. _Kakashi… _Naruto growled in his thoughts, seeing one of the _ghosts _in his past that he would like to erase. _I want to kill you… _now_!!!_ He shouted in his mind, moving to jump again and attack the ninja.

Naruto stared at the grey-haired ninja as he prepared himself to lunge at the Konoha-nin, only for him to be pulled out from his plan of extracting _revenge _to Kakashi. As soon as he lost balance and control with his body, Naruto could only try to regain his stature and to feel a cold bladed steel touched his bare neck. Naruto hissed; he didn't expect that part.

"Who are you?" Kakashi talked in his relaxed voice, even though the one he was asking was an enemy.

"_Go to hell_, Kakashi." Naruto just answered as he created a ram seal with his hand. Kakashi, feeling that it was a threat, moved his kunai to kill the man. But before the tip of his weapon could touch the man's skin again, an explosion that happened on the roof just near theirs took his attention.

Naruto smiled weakly, looking at the damage he had done. The kunai he had left there already made its purpose. His inner success suddenly stopped when five kunai and three shuriken embedded on his chest. Naruto stared at nowhere to find the source of the weapon, only to fail and his body drop into the ground.

"Hatake-san," another ninja appeared, who was in a complete ANBU uniform. To Naruto, the voice sounded familiar, but he could not discern _why_. "It seems you will not know him anymore."

"I am aware of that." Kakashi answered, looking at the falled body with disgrace. "I should have finished him before he could inflict that damage to those two ANBU."

"As the reports told me, you've become soft after you left ANBU." The masked one said.

"There is something more than being soft, I should say."

The masked ANBU didn't answer; instead he went to the roof where the explosion happened. After some five seconds, he jumped from the smoke-covered place, carrying with him two bodies that resembled Naruto's pursuers. "They're fine."

"I could not believe the Hokage sent us to replace two ANBUs for patrol." Kakashi rolled his eye. "Although I believe for the necessity…" Kakashi said, throwing a silent gaze at the body of the enemy they disabled.

"Hatake-san, let me remind you; Hokage-sama sent me _alone_. But your petty pride stood in my way that Hokage-sama let you go with me. Please be reminded that you are just a _nuisance _rather than an ally here." The masked ANBU said without fail.

Kakashi's gazes turned into a glare. "You have a good tongue in making people feel bad. But do remember that I am once ANBU." He looked straightly at the masked ANBU. "You don't want to mess with me…"

"Hatake-san, go die." The masked ANBU said, turning his attention away from the grey-haired shinobi and into the body that lay fallen in the sight. He put his foot into the man's face, using it to move his head for him to see his face.

"Who are you?" The masked ANBU asked.

"_Go to hell..._" Naruto was able to say, before his eyes shut to meet up with the darkness waiting for him. When his consciousness was gone, he turned into a cloud of smoke.

"_Kage Bunshin._" Kakashi muttered.

**

* * *

**

Naruto was snapped out from his musings when the information that came up from his clone was combined with the ones in his mind. When he was finally able to make up something from those images that flashed in his mind, Naruto frowned and almost growled when things seemed to go out of normality.

Looking at Team Obsidian who was still looking tired, Naruto thought of what he was going to do if he met that _man _again.

"Kakashi will be a problem." Naruto said, unaware that he had said it aloud, attracting the attention of Obsidian with him.

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

Really, I wanted to continue writing this chapter. But since there is a limit length of words for every chapter, I decided to cut this part and put it on the next chapter.]

I am going to have a _hell _week, since requirements for school will be going to pin me down.

I'm sorry for the wrong grammar, and I wish Trimethoprim-Sulfamethoxazole will not kill me for the next exams.

Thanks for reading and _reviewing_.


	5. Of Spies and Information, Part 2

**Author's note: **I told you that the next update will take long. Thanks for reading!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 4 – Part 2: Of Spies and Information**

As he found his way on top of the roof, Naruto knew that there would be no more reason for the two Konoha ANBU to stay in the pub. Ninjas could easily discern some things around them, which normal people couldn't see. And if one was ANBU, one of the things that needed to be inspected was people's mannerism and behavior over a certain time and place – without _exemptions_. Naruto was one big example of how ninja could clumsily be and he was damned for being careless.

_They will be following me_, Naruto thought, as he started roof-hopping to quickly evade his soon-to-pursuers. _I need to lose them._ "Kage Bunshin Technique!" He cast his favorite ninjutsu, summoning only one clone of his to do his plan. Tasking his clone on what to, Naruto decided that his presence there would merely be a trouble for his clone, and so he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

The clone looked impassive at his disappearing boss, steadying himself and went pacing again to attract the attention of the ANBU.

**

* * *

**

_Seriously_, one thought was musing as the group of four hopped through the tree branches. _Damn senpai_. The thought was being expressed inside the mind flawlessly, as if it was already scripted a long time ago that polishing was excessively done - it brought a natural and _crisp _tone and implication with that statement. Said thought was wishing it could say that statement aloud and in front of Naruto-senpai.

Nebi was staring at Naruto, while he composed his thoughts, ridding off his mind some plans to kill the younger ninja he respected as a senpai and suppressing some ideas to tackle and at least pierce him with one kunai. Even though he wasn't the vocal one, it didn't mean that he wasn't able to protest like the others. No, Nebi had more words in mind than what more could be said. He wasn't just the talker; he liked _actions _more than words.

That was why he wanted to tell Naruto that he was irritated, because of the suddenness the blond brought them lately, by strangling him.

He sighed. A thought was formed in his mind saying that Naruto was hypocrite.

_Nebi, Sumi, and Moko entered the inn, went into the second floor, and opened the room where they would stay. Of course, silence lingered among the three of them, contemplating about all that happened to them in those three days. They were used to silence for some reasons, and it gave them some sense of security for the moment._

_There were no fights that they had encountered. For the first three days in a B-rank mission, Team Obisidian was surprised that they hadn't met any enemies that they fought. It wasn't normal for a B-rank, after all._

_But it wasn't the fact that they weren't seeing any enemies along the way that needed dealing that bothered them most. Team Obsidian wasn't bothered by that – they knew to themselves that they could defeat any enemies as long as they stick to each other. It weren't the enemies that troubled them for their current mission; it was an ally that brought them into an awkward feeling._

_Putting down their belongings near the corner of the room, Team Obsidian cast with their eyes some silent words, telling each other for them to have a talk, to take some time to lighten up. They huddled up in the middle of the room, forming a circle with only three of them. Eyes drifted looking at the others, and then settled to the floor when contact was made. It was uncomfortable that the three of them just continued to stare at each other, waiting for someone to start the talk. Since no one was still minding it, they continued that way for almost thirty minutes._

"_This is already a serious matter." Sumi started to talk, taking whole the attention of his two teammates. It startled both Nebi and Moko to hear her without her energetic tone and loud voice. They could tell how much she was affected by _some _changes shown by Naruto._

"_I know." Moko answered. "I've never seen him that way."_

_Nebi was amused when he knew that all their thoughts were focusing about their blond senpai. "All of us, I think."_

"_What do you think happened to him?" Sumi asked, her eyes pooling with sadness and questions that she could not easily ask._

"_I don't know." Nebi replied. "I never realized Naruto-senpai could be silent for three days."_

_Silence._

_Nobody could clearly speak up their minds, still shocked how much one's behavior could affect all of them. They knew Naruto could bring some happiness in the saddest of times, and he had proven that much of himself whenever he was in Iwa. He could turn darkness with his bright attitude and positive thinking. He was Iwa's very first person to cheer aloud along the cold and _stony _streets. He was the glowing yellow of Iwa that brought the smiles into many faces – most of them were children._

_And they were very surprised to know that Naruto was always bringing with him a cold and _harsh _personality behind those huge grins and laughing fits. They were surprised to know that Naruto was a sun to most – warm and cheery – and a moon when no one knew it. A cold and unsympathetic figure that was under cover by that happy person. They couldn't figure out how that attitude was hidden against its opposite; how someone _un-Naruto-like_ persona was living inside their senpai._

_Or… maybe they just still didn't know who their Naruto-senpai is._

_The window burst open even before Moko could propose for all of them to sleep. Not easily being able to be taken by surprise when on a mission, Team Obsidian's hands quickly went into their weapon pouch and got some of those arms to deal with the unlikely opponent._

"_Team Obsidian, gather your things." The weapons in their hands were lowered upon the recognition of the newcomer's voice. "We're going to leave this village – _now_."_

"_But senpai––" Moko was going to ask when he was waved off by a nervous Naruto. "Not now, Moko-niichan. There is no time to explain." He spoke to them again. "I'll be waiting on the roof. Two minutes." The blond shinobi jumped from window into the roof, disappearing in the eyes of Team Obsidian._

"_Now… what was that?" Nebi was able to say._

Nebi yawned, still criticizing his senpai inside his head. For those three days that they were travelling, Naruto would always make remarks along the way – the only moment he would speak to the team. And it was the most irritating topic Naruto had ever presented. Naruto had always been muttering that if they would be compromised along the way, they would go home to Iwagakure, their mission a failure. Naruto would always talk about how stealthy one should be, since in the ninja world hiding and detection was always the two different actions enemy ninjas do with each other, and once they failed to be stealthy, they would fail the mission. He would always talk about how they should be careful. Nebi couldn't just stand it anymore – indirectly, he knew that Naruto didn't trust their ability to survive in their mission.

The implication of Naruto's lecture in their mission was so loud that Nebi's ears hurt already. Naruto was already accusing them of failing the mission, and his only evidence of his charge was that Team Obsidian was with him. He was considering the mission a failure because there were people with him that could fail it. Naruto distrusted their capabilities, and that was very evident in his words.

He hoped that Moko and Sumi knew about it as well.

"Kakashi will be a problem." They suddenly heard their senpai spoke up, which triggered them to look at the blond shinobi.

_Who is he talking about? _It was the same question that went into the minds of Team Obsidian. For that moment, they needed real answer. They couldn't just take on a mission with almost half of the parameters were being hidden from them with no apparent reason.

"Senpai, what happened? Why are we rushing?" Sumi asked.

Naruto's eyes were attracted at the voice of the woman. He noted the change in her tone, the decrease in energy in her pitch. And then suddenly there was a feeling that swelled inside his chest, an unknown presence that told him that he was the reason why Team Obsidian was acting cold against him. He could not blame them.

But would he tell them of what he was feeling?

After all, ninja should kill their emotions whenever in their missions. Naruto believed in that. Emotions were merely annoyance to a ninja when performing his task. A ninja never needed his mercy when he was going to finish an enemy. A ninja never let sadness overcome him when the time of defeat and death comes. A ninja was just an emotionless human-turned-machine. And that was Naruto was aspiring to be.

But wasn't he the one who proposed to Iwa that in order to make the teams efficient, they must be well-bonded?

He was just a hypocrite. He always said good things, but he had never acted those out.

"I've been followed by some ANBU from Konoha." Naruto told Team Obsidian, whose eyes went wide upon hearing two distinct words from his sentence. "But when it was the time that I got you from the inn, I already lost them with my Shadow Clone."

"Why were you caught?"

"I tried to spy to them, and I failed to realize that they were ANBU." Naruto replied. He gave the three some silent looks. "I ask your help this time; let us go to the mission point soon. We'll stop for nothing except for camp. Since we already have the paraphernalia for us to be able to pass the patrol, I assume that we just continue to go deeper into Fire's Territory. If we still hold on to the credibility of our disguise, I think we can travel across Fire for five days. We rest on the third day." He told them. Team Obsidian nodded in unison. .

**

* * *

**

It was the third day of their travel, and Team Obsidian could feel the weariness that had been clouding them since Naruto had given them the continue-running-without-rest order for them to go to their mission point at a faster time. Whatever Naruto had known, it seemed that the blond shinobi was trying to finish the mission because he feared something.

Team Obsidian could now see it through his eyes, paranoia mixing with the cerulean. The cerulean was dim and out of life. It was also deep. Naruto was trying to pretend to be alright. Seeing how Naruto looked like, Team Obsidian concluded that Naruto was trying to get away from something _big_. They didn't know exactly, but they were sure that Naruto feared something. And that they gave them chills… _What if it is an enemy that he feared? An enemy he knew he could not defeat?_

Naruto watched Team Obsidian as they prepared their camp on that particularly lowly night. He knew that behind those glances being given to him discretely were messages of worry and some questions. Team Obsidian was deeply affected by his behavior change. But he couldn't help it; Naruto was having an A-rank mission and he had teammates. As far as he could remember in handling missions being given by Iwa, Naruto never had teammates when he did those.

He decided to talk to Team Obsidian.

"Sumi-chan, Nebi-kun, Moko-niichan…" Naruto called out their names. Three people looked first at each other, before heeding the call of their senpai for a while. "I want to talk to you."

The four of them sat around the small fire that was started by Moko. Naruto looked up into the sky, staring at the stars that dotted the dark background. There were some many stars to look at, but Naruto had always wished to see only one thing from the blackness and white dots – he was waiting for a _shooting star_.

"_Nagareboshi_…" Naruto said, still looking at the stars. "You know, I've wished on a shooting star when I was younger."

Team Obsidian watched Naruto in wonder, since they hadn't seen any major change in behavior in a very short amount of time. Naruto looked so … _peaceful_ while talking. He was having a small smile, as if he was a child enjoying the sight laid in front of him. His eyes flowed through the string of stars that spotted the night.

"I wished back then that I want to have some people acknowledging me, accepting me as a normal person and for me to be able to protect them with all my life." Naruto said, pain tainting his beautiful statement. "When I saw that shooting star, I swore in my heart that what I wished will be true." He bit his lip; memories were blurring his always compost thoughts. "I wished, and it remained a wish."

He lowered his gaze to the fire and to the people that was listening to him.

"Still, I wasn't able to protect the people that get close to me." He looked pained as he continued to talk. "I failed them. I continued to fail besides the fact that I strived to be better. The more I try to be stronger, the harder the obstacles come."

He smiled to himself.

"That is the reason why I disdained the idea of going into mission together with a team; my heart will break if I lose those who work near me." Naruto told them, finally releasing the guilt that had grown when he started to act to be the serious and cold one. He tried to scan the faces of Team Obsidian, waiting for their reactions for the moment. He decided to continue, since none of Team Obsidian wanted to talk.

"I already have done 326 missions for Iwa, 20 D-rank, 100 C-Rank, 153 B-rank, and 53 A-rank. If you're going to read my mission profile, that all those missions that I have, I brought no one to me; all of those are solo-missions that the Tsuchikage handed me. For the record, even though we still are on two different missions, this is the first time I have ever made a mission for Iwa with a team." Naruto shared them.

"Naruto-senpai…" Sumi looked at her with her serious eyes. "Are you _stupid_?"

Naruto was taken aback by the question. He was expecting it. Why would Sumi ask him such? He thought she was going to ask a serious question.

"That is your _petty_ reason, senpai?" Moko asked.

"That's not _petty_!"

"Naruto-senpai, you're such a kid." Nebi talked. "As if we are easily going to die for you to lose us…"

"Nebi-kun…?"

"Naruto-senpai, Iwagakure is known for having a stone attitude for orders and such, and we are well known for being solid for our words. The Tsuchikage ordered us to escort you. He didn't _order _us to _die_, and so we are willing to keep ourselves safe." Nebi explained. "What you must expect to Iwa is _loyalty_."

"Yes, Naruto-senpai. We are not killed easily. So don't worry about us." Moko flashed a grin and raised his hand, putting a thumbs-up to him. "You are the only senpai we admire."

"Naruto-senpai!" Sumi yelled to Naruto. "You're not going to lose us; believe it!"

Naruto inwardly smiled. The shooting star seemed not yet to fail him…

**

* * *

**

Naruto and Team Obisidian were nearing their destination.

It was the fifth day of their travel since they left the village, and Naruto was correct in his estimate. Team Obsidian was now in their 'hyped' mode; they wanted to prove to Naruto that weren't push-overs for that mission. They were there for him, helping him if he encountered some enemies. They would be going to protect him from the threats around. And, most of all, they would not let Naruto feel down; they would also protect themselves as they protect him.

Naruto was having some aura of uneasiness as he travelled inside Fire, actually. He didn't want to remember the ninja village that stayed inside the territory of the Country of Fire. As he just remembered its name, his blood boils over through his body, rage and pain shouting inside his mind. He almost hated the Tsuchikage for giving him a mission that would bring him closer to the place that he disgusted.

"Here," Naruto suddenly talked as they continued tree-hopping. "Tsuchikage-sama told me to bring this mask for us to wear and meet our spy to Konoha." He almost bit his lip when telling the name. "Don't worry, I'll do the talking."

Some minutes later, they were already at the area of the meeting place. Naruto insisted not to go to the exact spot when it was not yet time, since going before the specified time had some disadvantages he learned through experience. Sometimes, going into the meeting time before the specific time was an invitation for the enemy to ambush a ninja. If the ninja was unfortunately not an Iwa-nin, then the ambush would be successful. To Naruto's reasoning, it would just be alright for Iwa-nins to go at an earlier time since he knew that when it comes to meeting, Iwa-nins collectively stick to each other and went to a location at the same time – not an _inviting _behavior for ambush.

According to the additional mission scroll given to him by the Tsuchikage, they would meet the spy at noon. When it was fifteen minutes to noon, Naruto had asked the team to wear the mass he gave them. He wore his own, a porcelain mask shaped into an image of an abstract fox. They started walking at the clearing, after making sure that there wasn't any enemy ninja patrolling around the vicinity.

Team Obsidian observed Naruto as he walked relaxed. They were envy that Naruto could pull off himself into some confident stature without any difficulty. They were already trembling in nervousness because it was the first time that they had reached some far reaches of the ninja world, and, much, into the territory of the Fire Country.

Then they heard some whining in a spot near them. Naruto motioned the team to follow, them walking silently as not to disturbed the possible source of the noise. When they reached the place, they saw a man wearing some ragged clothes and fishing by the small tributary that came from a river somewhere. He yanked his fishing rod back again at the stream of water.

Naruto remembered the exact words of the Tsuchikage.

"**He is a loud man, and he likes to fish whenever his out of the village.**" The Tsuchikage began his brief.

Naruto walked nearer to the man, looking at the how he waited for the fish to take the bait.

"**Tell him that he is good at throwing at the hook at the water.**"

"I just saw you used you rod. And it is indeed a good throw." Naruto smiled behind his mask, noting that the man looked at him.

"**He will ask you a question.**"

"Who are you?" The man asked.

"**You are the one who will help him in his quest for fishing.**"

"I am the one who will help you catch fish." Naruto replied.

"How?" The man asked again.

"**Because you know that…" **The voice of the Tsuchikage slowly trailed off in his head, as Naruto began to speak again.

"I know that your hook has no _bait _in it."

The man stood and pulled the fishing rod out from the water. "Good afternoon to you, my dear Iwa-nins."

"Whew," Naruto sighed behind his mask. "That was an overdramatic password to do."

"It's a good thing." The man replied. "That is the part I liked about the Tsuchikage; he made sure everything goes safe."

"I know." Naruto answered. "So, what you get from them?"

"Before that, will it hurt I know your identities? It's ages that since I have seen from Iwagakure ninja…" The man requested, expecting Naruto and Team Obsidian remove their masks.

"Alright," Naruto answered, motioning Team Obisidian to remove theirs. He started pulling off his porcelain mask too.

When Naruto had finally removed his mask, the man suddenly trembled in fear, as his eyes widened in sudden surprise. Team Obsidian didn't know what happened, and so they hastily went into Naruto's direction to protect their senpai. The blond shinobi calmed them down, telling to be at ease. He moved nearer to the man and yanked him up. He felt that the man was giving him a full stare and was actually shaking.

"What's the problem?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto…" The blond was surprised that the spy knew his name. "Why are you still alive? Konoha just announced recently that you have _died_ because you were killed in a mission they sent you at… And why are you an Iwa shinobi?!" The last statement sounded like he was accusing him of something.

In less than a second, Naruto's eyes turned into slit, looking dangerously at the spy they were talking at. It quickly silenced the man, the latter seeing the rage that suddenly grew out from the blond shinobi.

Team Obsidian was at lost when they heard what the man said. Konoha? Naruto? Sent on a mission? Dead? _What is happening here? What is he talking about?_

Nebi raised his head towards Naruto. "Senpai?"

Naruto wanted to die in his spot that time.

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

This is the shortest chapter I have written, and I know it's low quality. I'm sorry about this; there are just many things in my mind that ate up much of my thoughts and ideas.

I don't know if this chapter passes for a "cliffhanger."

I like the song Nagareboshi (Naruto Shippuuden 1st ending theme).

Thanks for reading.


	6. The Truth

**Author's Note: **I'm sorry for the late update. You see, I was browsing the files in my computer while typing this chapter when I saw a picture of a black cat in one of my files, so I had the re-type the whole story so that I will not harbor the bad luck... -sweat dropping in forehead-

Anyway, I'm finding it hard to write when it is already weekend! I want to relax and to sleep whole day.

This chapter is dragging.

**Disclaimer: **I own the world, but I failed to realize that I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 5 – The Truth**

Takashi walked silently along the corridors of the Academy of Konoha that early morning. And for the Chunin of the village, _early _meant the same as everyone knew it, but in a _greater _magnitude that couldn't even reach the imagination of the people of Konoha. Takashi was enjoying the gentle winds of the mornings, especially when it was around 04:30am.

How he feel very much alive when he woke up very early in the morning and see his surroundings still blanketed by darkness. It didn't mean that he hated the light and the sun, it was just that he was accustomed into waking up very early when no one still have the energy and _passion _to greet the sun. Why he was waking up in that time was still an obscured reason to him; it seemed that his genes were scripted to let him be conscious at that time.

As long as he wasn't being bothered by his strange waking up behaviour, he wouldn't mind it.

He went into the first room on his right, opening the door slowly, as if someone was sleeping inside that he didn't want to bother. Still being slowed down by the absence of light, Takashi walked cautiously inside the room, using his hands to touch things for him to be guided and not to trip. When he knew that he had felt the metal box that was attached to the wall across the room, Takashi smiled to himself and opened the small door on it. He took hold of the lever inside it and yanked it down. There was a small humming sound from the box and some from outside that could only be sensed by a deep concentrating ninja. Takashi walked out of the room, satisfied that there were now some rooms that had its lights opened.

Takashi decided to go to the teachers' lounge to finish working on the paper works that his students passed to him yesterday.

It was Takashi's difference from the other chunins that taught in the academy. When other teachers were busy checking the papers and exams, which they gave to the students, late at night, Takashi was already sleeping soundly at his small house by then. Takashi wasn't a late night worker. He had the mindset that if he was already feeling tired for the night, he let himself sleep and take a rest. It wasn't being lazy. After all, what was the purpose of going up early if he was just going to waste time?

He was very thankful that when he was up in the morning, there weren't any thoughts in his mind telling him to let his body continue its rest. No, his body and mind were synchronized about that thing. It seemed to him that when he would wake up in the morning, he had a rush of adrenaline gushing out to his body. And so he would work on his things in the morning, when no one was still awake.

As soon as he reached inside the lounge, he set down his things and sat at the chair at the center table. He then released the stack of papers from his bag, taking a small glance if he got the right papers from his house. Satisfied that he brought everything correctly, he started scanning and checking the papers with his red ink.

His forehead started to grow lines and his eyebrows met when he saw some answers that didn't pass his standards.

_No_, Takashi told in his mind, _there are only _twelve _basic hand seals, not fifteen_. He encircled the answer of one his students, and put a number '12' beside it. As he continued to check on other papers, he found nine wrong answers about the number of basic hand seals, ranging from ten to twenty-four. A vein was popping out of his head when he knew he needed to teach the students on the basics of listening to their teacher.

_Tobirama Senju is the Second Hokage of Konoha, not __Tsunade-sama_, Takashi wanted to hit his head at the table, irritation swallowing him up. He couldn't discern in what part of his teaching life went wrong that his students' answers were killing him with _wrongness_. He could not reach deep into his mind if he had said wrong information in his lectures, or he failed to see if the book had some errors in it. But he was then determined to teach his students better, whether they want it or not.

_Konohagakure is in Hi no Kuni, the Fire Country! _He now yelled in his mind, his pen already tearing the papers he was checking. _What could those brats be learning? Are they really learning??!_ Red ink blotted on the papers; blood seeming spilled on the white piece.

_There are five great ninja villages in the ninja world, dammit! _The curse went unnoticed in his thoughts. Takashi forbid himself once that he would never cast a rude word, not even in his mind. He sighed; why was Kami-sama punishing him? He got his pen tightly in his hand, writing at the paper where he found the wrong answers. _Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kirigakure, Kumogakure..._ he was writing slowly as to let his student carefully look at those names. _Iwagakure_... His heart seemed to stop beating when the name was seen by his eyes and was written by his own hand. _Iwa_, he repeated, looking blankly at the test paper he was cheking. _My home..._

That was the time when his thoughts and memories of being a teacher in the Academy of Konoha were flushed out of his mind and was replaced by another memory that he was hiding in the deep recesses of his brain. Flashes of images and moving memories filled up his mind, the pictures of Iwa being the centerpiece of his small travel back in his mind. He suddenly missed his village, the place where he had been born and wanted to protect. He was pulled out of his musings, as soon as everything in his mind shifted from the vivid and lively memories of the village, into the serious face of the Tsuchikage in front of him.

"_Takashi," The voice of the Tsuchikag__e roared inside the room, prompting the small child to look at the source. "I know it's hard to accept the truth about your father, but it is the already known part of life." The voice continued, hard and cold – as it always was._

"_I know, __Ōnoki-sama." The child answered with sternness, his eyes showing fury and sadness at the same time._

_Ōnoki lowered his gaze to the boy, proud that the little Iwa-nin had already accepted the truth about the death of his father – his only family – at the hands of the enemy ninja. Somehow, he could not pull himself from observing the face of the young child. He could clearly see from his dark-grey irises the tiredness that he had from crying; that he had cried so much that his eyes could bore no more tears for him to release. He had been able to cope – Takashi knew that he could do no more about the death of his only family. "You know why you were called here?"_

_The five year old child nodded._

"_I know that your father had taught you the life of the ninja in your very young age, since you've gained consciousness of the world when this Third Great Shinobi War started." Ōnoki started his words. "As I don't want to take more of your time anymore and to preserve the life of the ninjas that I've sent to fight for Iwa, I'll tell you what your objectives are now." Ōnoki paused and inhaled some air. "Takashi, you are to infiltrate Konoha and pretend that you are one of the civilians that were caught on a skirmish that will happen near the outskirts of Konoha."_

_Takashi just blinked his eyes upon hearing the order from the Tsuchikage – a normal reply from a child's perspective. "What do you mean 'infiltrate', Ōnoki-sama?" Takashi was able to ask._

"_It means that you are going to enter their village and be a spy for us." Ōnoki answered him quickly._

"_But shouldn't be spies be old and quick and smart enough to do their tasks?" Takashi answered, which impressed Ōnoki. The Tsuchikage thanked the boy's father silently for already teaching his son of advance information of wars. Just from his answer, Ōnoki knew that Takashi was the best choice. "Are you willing to help our village from the enemies even though your still a child?"_

"_Hai, Tsuchikage-sama. I'll make my father proud." Takashi answered and bowed, signifying that he was prepared to leave the room._

"_Wait, Takashi." Ōnoki held him from leaving, and motioning to the little boy to come near him. When he approached Ōnoki, the kage gave the boy a picture that could fit into anyone's pocket without too much bulk. "Take this with you. I know you don't have any recognition of the man in this picture, but I think it'll help you in your way to Konoha."_

_Takashi looked at the picture with curiosity, touching the image as if he could feel the very features of the man in the picture. He scanned at the man's features: blond spiky hair with strands that almost reached his cheeks and blue-eyes that told of calmness and peace. Takashi almost smiled since he found the man's feature a little funny, but still there was something from the look that told him the man was an enigma... or someone he had already met. He took a final glance to the Tsuchikage and left the room. The latter was just looking at the path that the boy took in his room, thinking of the possible things that could happen to the boy._

'_Takashi,' The Tsuchikage thought. 'Make Sumashi proud.'_

Takashi took out a picture from his vest, looking again at the face that he saw when the Tsuchikage first gave it to him seventeen years ago. He looked again at the features, touching it well as if he was real family member that he had lost for a long time now. Rage filled up his fingers, an urge that told him to strangle the man in the picture. It was almost ten years now that he knew who killed his father.

_Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage of Konoha_. He told in his mind, the name bringing up the greatest misery and pain that Takashi ever felt in his entire life. _It's unfortunate that you died already... I wish I had the time to kill you myself._

The sliding door of the teacher's lounge suddenly slid open, revealing a man with long jet black haired ponytailed into spikes. He looked lazily at the man who was sitting by the chair and stacking some papers. His grey eyes narrowed into the other one's face and dismissed his own musings. "Troublesome morning." He muttered, his lazy tone complementing his lazy features.

"Shikamaru-kun!" Takashi almost jumped out when the chunin surprised him. "What are you doing here?"

"Takashi-san, have you forgotten that Tsunade-sama gave me a mission to stay here at the Academy to fill-up some missing positions at the moment?" Shikamaru answered and he surprised himself because he talked a full-length sentence that he was wishing not to do at the day. He felt it was troublesome to explain.

"Sorry, Shikamaru-kun." Takashi replied, scratching the back of his head. "So I suppose you have something important to do too, since you came here at––" Takashi looked at the wall clock on the other side of the room "––05:30 in the morning."

"No." Shikamaru gave a short answer. "I just want to sleep in a quiet place." He walked inside the lounge and closed the door. "I thought that the Academy would be best." He slumped as his back found its way to the couch. "Then I forgot that you come here every morning at an _unhealthy _time."

Takashi chuckled at the chunin's answer, as he continued his task of assembling the papers into the proper classes for him to distribute it easily.

Shikamaru stared lazily at the dark-grey haired chunin. As far as he could remember, Takashi was a newly appointed chunin teacher at the Academy by the time they graduated almost three years ago. The man was a little more hyperactive than the already happy and nice Umino Iruka who had been teaching at the Academy for a long time now. His matching eyes to his hair color were wide and were full of energy. _No wonder why he got here earlier than the earliest bird, _the Nara added as a comment.

Knowing that he couldn't get a decent sleep when there was someone who was as energetic and geared towards working as Iruka, Shikamaru gave up on his idea of taking a rest in the academy walls. He started striking a conversation to the other chunin. "Takashi-san, what do you usually do when after checking the papers of your students?"

Takashi was surprised when the ever-lazy Nara started to talk. "Well, I regularly check on the lesson plan and rethink of the things I would say to my lectures. If I find the lesson a little easy, then I gave myself a small training until classes start." The chunin answered.

"Train? Never heard of a chunin academy teacher training for some reasons away from lectures…"

"Aa, but you see, Shikamaru-kun, it seems that the children of today has the _irritating _skill of being able to over-empower their teachers. There is no way in Konoha that I let myself be in the situation as Iruka-san, who always chases his students almost every day. So before my students start their mini-rebellion of hide and seek to me, I make sure that I can prevent that even before they could think of it." Takashi proudly told the other chunin.

"You're a harsh one, Takashi-san."

"You know how it feels when students touched into their energy stores, right?" Takashi asked with a hint of snicker.

"Yeah, whatever…" Shikamaru answered, muttering a 'troublesome' before turning his attention away from the teacher.

**. . .**

Shikamaru frowned at the fact that he had been starting to forget things more easily now.

First, it was when he forgot that Takashi-san would be inside the academy building, doing his own things before classes start. He should have noted that even before coming inside. Now he regretted on walking some distance for him just to get some silent and peaceful sleep.

The next thing was that he forgot that he should be at the Hokage Tower that day, since Tsunade announced something yesterday that he and all the Jonin and the instructors working at the academy must come that day for another announcement. Shikamaru then hurriedly went up from the couch and immediately went to where Takashi was training.

**. . .**

"Takashi-san, where were you yesterday?" The voice of Shikamaru suddenly appeared behind him, which shocked the chunin that made him cast a ninjutsu that pulled Shikamaru down to the ground, his whole body under the earth and only revealing his head. "Takashi-san!" Shikamaru almost yelled out his lungs.

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru-kun." Takashi apologized at Shikamaru for the second time that day. "You surprised me."

"Will you pull me out here?!"

"Not unless you tell me a good reason for bothering me in my training…" Takashi smiled grimly at the younger chunin.

"I am just going to ask you if you were here at the Academy yesterday! Now get me out here, now!" Shikamaru was shouting, which deeply concerned older chunin. According to Iruka, Shikamaru wasn't too much a speaker, and yelling was a lesser thing to be expected from him. Now that he saw the Nara expelling the air inside him just to talk to him, Takashi felt that he had hit a spot that could release Shikamaru from the bounds of laziness. _Well, let's see if I can do something about it_, he thought before pushing his hand deep into the ground.

As soon as he felt Shikamaru's hand under the earth, he pulled it up, dragging the rest of the Nara out of the soil.

"I wasn't here." Takashi answered as he clapped his hands to remove the dust from his hands. "Why do you ask?"

"Well it explains that you are still here." Shikamaru glared at Takashi. "Nobody told you about the meeting the Hokage set for today?"

"No…" Takashi answered in a small voice.

"Now you know it, I think it will not hurt if I also tell you that the Hokage suspended the classes at the Academy due to her announcement." Shikamaru said in a sly smile, which tempted Takashi to reveal his kunai and chase the younger chunin to his death.

**. . .**

It was 06:30am when the duo reached the Hokage Tower. Everyone inside looked at each other with a question written in their faces, which said 'What are we doing here?' It was enough for Shikamaru to conclude that the Hokage hadn't told anyone about what she was going to announce. Present there was some prominent ninjas that came from Konoha, which were too many for Shikamaru to recount in his head.

Shikamaru and Takashi went deeper inside the tower, still looking at the faces of the Konoha shinobis who were patiently waiting for the scheduled time to arrive. When they reached the hallway where the Hokage's room was located, Shikamaru then cast Takashi a curious gaze, which quickly took the attention of the older one.

"I haven't seen Iruka-sensei for almost four days now." Shikamaru said, and the tone implied that it was more than a question than a statement.

"Oh, Iruka-san went out for a mission to check on a small non-ninja village northeast of Konoha five days ago." Takashi answered.

"Why would the Hokage send him for missions as such?"

"Well, it seems that the Hokage needed Iruka-san's persuasive personality for the mission. After all, it was more a diplomatic talk than like the common ninja types that involve fighting and killing." Takashi explained the younger chunin.

"I agree. There are no more souls capable of talking very nicely in Konoha than Iruka-sensei." Shikamaru said. Of course, he wouldn't remove the title from Iruka whenever he called him. Iruka was the type of person to be respected, not because of his strength as a ninja but his attitude of bringing into the present new ninjas that would bring Konoha a better future. Iruka was the person that was willing to stay inside a building full of naughty souls called children for him to make them a more compliant ninjas for the sake of Konoha. And for the Nara, being able to be patient in a room full of irritating and troublesome children was the next greatest thing after being enduring to a commanding mother.

"So, did the Hokage tell you what time she will meet us?" Takashi asked.

"Of course. We'll meet her by 07:00."

Silence then reigned between the two chunin, watching the clock as it ticked nearer and nearer to the time they were waiting for. Takashi never enjoyed waiting for the time to come when he had no other choice but to wait. In the Academy, as he had told Shikamaru lately, he had more things to do as he waited for the class time to start, so he wouldn't be bored for the time to pass. But now that they were inside the Hokage Tower, the only place Takashi feared to do some other things than being silent and passive – he learned that the Hokage was ill-patient on people cutting her words off and her sheer strength accompanied her hot-headed nature and he didn't want to experience that with the Hokage.

After some ten minutes, Shikamaru and Takashi saw Kurenai and Asuma walking together.

"Shikamaru, you're a little early." Asuma, Shikamaru's former sensei – although he still considered him as such – greeted the young chunin.

"Takashi-san here from the Academy didn't receive the message from the Hokage." Shikamaru started talking. "It was troublesome for me to tell him about it." The Nara didn't mind the small glare that came from Takashi. "Say, I haven't seen Kakashi too."

"He's got a bad habit of being late…" Asuma replied.

"But I think he never _dared _to do it to Tsunade-sama." Shikamaru said. "I would even fear of planning about it – ever."

Kurenai chuckled a bit while Asuma put a small smile. "As far as I know, Kakashi was sent on a single-mission three days ago."

"Let me guess," Shikamaru started speaking. "It's about _that_, isn't it?"

Asuma and Kurenai nodded. Takashi showed signs of distress that he wasn't getting any of what the tree ninjas were referring to. Shikamaru kindly gestured himself to be the one explaining it to the chunin. "Since it wouldn't hurt for you to know about it because almost everyone knew about this matter, the Hokage maybe putting some gravity to the events that were happening in Kusagakure already."

"Aa, I know about that, Shikamaru-kun." Takashi replied. "According to some news that I've been receiveing lately, there are some rogue ninjas that are wreaking destruction in the Kusagakure-Fire border for some months now. Since Kusagakure is an ally, Konoha is sending some help in putting some patrols in the area." Takashi said. "But, I don't expect that it will need the help of some Jonin ninjas from Konoha about it."

"You know things, Takashi-san." Asuma said, wishing that he could have a cigarette as they waited. But since he forgot about it before he left, his hands were twitching nervously that they could not detect the texture of cigarette for the day. "It would mean that Kusagakure is having a hard time in controlling the problem's escalation."

The group of four then turned silent, as they waited for the time to come.

**. . .**

Tsunade asked the ninjas to assemble on the wide rooftop of the Hokage Tower, since her petty room couldn't accommodate the number of the people that came inside the place. When the ninjas saw her came out of the room, they couldn't see the usual Tsunade in her; her movements were composed and a proper decorum was being presented by her movements. Of course, it brought more questions to minds of the ninjas that came at her will. It seemed that the Hokage wasn't just going to tell them some _normal _news.

The ninjas stood in lines; Jonins and Chunins in separate groups. They waited patiently for the Hokage to appear.

The door that lead to the roof top opened, the visage of Tsunade quickly filling up their visions. She was followed by Shizune, who was also looking nervous. The apprentice to the medic-nin showed that she too had no idea about the things the Hokage was going to announce that time. _Troublesome_, Shikamaru muttered for another time that day, which he thought was bothersome for him to count how many times.

Tsunade placed herself in front of the lined ninjas, her face showing no emotions at all. Not that. Many ninjas weren't expecting that face from their Hokage. That told them that there was something wrong and it wasn't just a simple announcement that they were dealing with. Tsunade than hovered her gaze at the ninjas, her brown eyes missing the usual energy she possessed every day. That time hers was blank. The curves on her faces told everybody that she didn't want to be bothered with more questions as she talked.

"I feel that you are making conclusions that this announcement will be greater than just me telling something to you." Tsunade said in much force that most of them felt that Tsunade had expected them to be thinking like that. "I called for you today to tell what I've relayed you yesterday. This is still going to be an announcement." She stepped forward, revealing a paper from her pocket.

"All of you knew that almost three years ago, I was brought back here together with Shizune due to Jiraiya and a Konoha shinobi's doing, as a replacement for Hiruzen Sarutobi-sama after his sacrifice to save the village from Suna and Oto's attack. If not everyone of you knows, the other shinobi that accompanied Jiraiya to get me was Naruto Uzumaki." She paused for a while, glancing at the paper she was holding. "It was also not unknown to most that Itachi had returned to Konoha three years ago once to retrieve someone they wish to catch. Kakashi fought him and he fell sick for almost a week in bed. It was then found out that their objective was Naruto."

"I didn't make the decision myself; Jiraiya had also confined in this matter. Since it seems that Akatsuki, the group which Itachi is also a member, is being active in getting him, it is deemed proper for Naruto to get out of the village. It was done almost three years ago, some months after I was returned." She told them, earning her some curious gazes from some ninjas, especially the young chunins. "It means that Konoha will not suffer from the attacks coming from Akatsuki if they know that Naruto is out of the village. But it is also an advantage for Naruto to be out of Konoha since it is Jiraiya who is accompanying him and training him to be able to defend himself from the enemy."

"But recently, we have received grave news from Jiraiya from afar." Tsunade stopped for a while, crumpling the paper in her hands.

Everyone's eyes were looking at their Hokage.

"Naruto, while being attacked by some rogue ninjas being helped out by Otogakure, was killed in battle." The Hokage said it smoothly.

Shikamaru's eyes widened in shock upon hearing the news. He quickly scanned the face of the Hokage, looking at hints of lies and untruthfulness. He knew from his tactics of his own that leaking news as such would be a great help for them to win a battle. Leaking some information was also a part of strategy for the enemy to be at lost at the middle of the fight. He couldn't tell himself to believe at what Tsunade had said. _Her eyes… not faltering… Her lips, her face… not showing falsity…_ Shikamaru's mind was trembling as he tried more reasoning in his mind just to cancel out the death of Naruto at the sudden announcement of the Hokage. _Could it be…?_ With a final glance at the Hokage, he could see from the background that Shizune had fallen on her knees, welling in her eyes tears that came through shock and sadness. Shizune's rection was proof enough that the Tsunade kept to herself the information before revealing it to anyone. She knew that she didn't want other people to see her broke down because of the knowledge that Naruto had died. And so before she told them about it, Tsunade kept it to herself – crying and being depressed in the silence so that she could be more prepared to tell it to them.

The air was full of silent thoughts. There were some snickers at the odd sides of the lines, denoting that those were the people who hated Naruto for what was inside him. For them, the monster was no more that would be living in their village, no more monster that would revoke them the memories of the death of their loved ones when the _stupid monster _attacked that unfaithful night. Finally, Konoha would be totally safe – the traitor kid was out from the village.

"Tsunade-sama?" Shikamaru spoke, representing the other ninjas that suddenly weakened upon knowing what happened to the blond shinobi.

"Shikamaru, what happened had already happened; we could do no more about it." Tsunade answered before talking again. "Everyone of you, keep this announcement secret to those of lower ranks than you – you don't want to face the punishment as the Hokage willed. Dismissed." She then turned back her direction from them and went into Shizune's side. She told something to her that made Shizune cried harder. Tsunade continued to walk back inside the tower.

"Asuma…" Shikamaru said subconsciously. "This can't be happening."

Takashi looked at Shikamaru's reaction. He lowered his head and pondered in his mind. If Iruka-san was there, he didn't know what will happen.

**. . .**

"That happened three days ago, Naruto." Takashi retold his story as the group sat in a circular formation near the small tributary the man was fishing at. "I don't know if most of the ninja will be true in keeping it a secret to most of the people, and I'm pretty sure that most of Konoha knows it already."

Naruto bowed his head as his hands turned into fist as he heard the story.

Sumi, Nebi, and Moko could not believe about what they heard about Naruto that time. _Jiraiya? Tsunade? Orochimaru? The Sannin of Konoha? _The questions kept on repeating inside their minds, distrust suddenly bubbling up in the depths of their feelings. Who was Naruto? Was he really an ally? Or was he in disguise like Takashi?

"It's not true!" Naruto suddenly burst and stood from sitting position.

"Then what is true, Naruto-senpai?" Nebi talked, his eyes looking at doubt and met Naruto's. "Are you a real Iwa-ninja, or a spy from Konoha?" The sound of Nebi's voice was full of accusations, but Naruto could feel the hints of pain in his tone. "Did you just mock us? After all those times that we've been together with you, we trusted you…" Nebi continued to talk, putting more pain in Naruto's heart. "Who are you? And what is your goal?!"

"I just want to protect the people I am close to…" Naruto answered in a soft voice, smiling a bit. "When I failed to protect when I was in Konoha, I promised to myself that I will be doing so even not in Konoha. Just then when I was out of Konoha that I realized that I don't need to be affiliated in any ninja-village for me to be able to protect someone. I can make family with the people I got close to, and that is enough for me to have a reason to live and to be respected. I don't need to be in a ninja village to have a dream. Human lives are not driven by how well-known your village is, but on the will of theirs that told them to live." The blond shinobi told them.

"In Konoha I was distrusted by most. But Iwa accepted me as a person."

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

I'm sorry about this chapter, but I was dragged by how I characterized Takashi. I don't know, but there is a feeling inside me that I should also give more consideration to characters not part of Konoha (even though Takashi's not part of the story).

If everyone is aware, Sumashi (**spoiler warning**) was the Iwa-nin that attacked Team Minato during the Kakashi gaiden in Naruto Shippuuden. Well, then goes the story...

Since I failed to give more importance to the message that Tsunade gave, I feel compelled to reveal the next chapter faster as possible. I'm sorry about the drag and the grammars, I just felt my _writing self_ when I wrote about those ninjas coming from my FanFic Iwagakure.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	7. Unexpected Meetings

**Author's Note: **Another chapter up! Wow, I didn't expect that weekends can make me write more than I expect. Well, isn't it fine posting more chapters at a faster rate?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto, believe it!

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 6 – Unexpected Meetings**

Takashi parted from the group, giving them a bag of scrolls before he disappeared to go back inside Konoha. From what he had told them earlier, it seemed that he had used a mission of his own for him to meet them, and that mission would not take him more than a day to accomplish. Team Obsidian let their minds drift on the thought about the life that their fellow Iwa-nin took. For them, it was already a very great sacrifice to be able to live away from the village that one came from. But there was one question that plagued their mind.

Why did Takashi choose to work in the Academy when he knew that it was the haven of the future ninja of their _enemy _village?

_He would not dare sabotage the academy… wouldn't he?_ Nebi pondered in his mind as he, Team Obsidian, and his senpai were tree-hopping again. As far as he could remember, they were taught that it wasn't a work of a spy to bring commotion to the place where he was performing his task – only when it was the final lever for success. But to go against an entire village by destabilizing their education? That was just... it was possible to do, but with no apparent success in it. _It would be insane to do it. But then everyone could doubt the sanity of a fellow Iwa-nin after seventeen years of not returning to the village..._

Being spy was hard enough. Being a spy who got to teach the children of your enemy was harder.

_What is his real purpose? _Nebi kept on asking his mind, the events that happened recently clogging his thinking. The more he went farther from his village, the more he realized that there were just too many things that weren't taught in Iwa. It was the real world. It wasn't just the village that could proudly tell them things that they were sure of. It wasn't just the place where he could feel safe. It was the truth out there. Iwagakure didn't fail them though; the truth just stretched farther than from their village alone. _What would he gain by being an Academy instructor?_

"That was very _noble _and _nice _of him to become a chunin instructor." Naruto suddenly talked, which suddenly pulled out Nebi from his musings and the other two from concentrating by their own. "I never heard of _our _spies being so good enough that they chose to become instructors as such."

"He was an _Iwa _spy, senpai – ours and a high possibility that _not _yours." Nebi answered, making sure his statement would be understood in any manner it would be interpreted.

Naruto frowned with that, but making sure that no one from Team Obsidian saw him. From the trio, it was Nebi who was being more talkative regarding on the matter of his origins. And it was both too wonderful and hurtful for him to be the one representing his team. Nebi, the team member who wasn't supposed to be speaking, was the one grilling Naruto in a special concoction of emotions that could only be harbored by a _true _Iwagakure ninja. "Nebi-kun, I promised you I'm going to tell you the truth when we reach Iwa, since I know the Tsuchikage can help me in explaining to you." He bit his lips. "So please, let us have the cooperation we're supposed to have until this mission is done."

"One of the mission parameters always given to Iwa-ninjas is to be loyal to a fellow." Nebi said sharply. "Senpai, I don't know if I can still able to do that in your _situation_."

If Naruto wasn't a ninja and was still the child that he remembered many years ago, he would have broke down at the present moment about how Nebi was treating him. It was _awfully _painful. And Nebi's cold attitude doubled the pain that came from his words. Why couldn't people give him some time to explain for himself? Why did he need to always play the part of the ostracized? "It's up to you, Team Obsidian. What I'm after is the continuity of your mission."

"It's the same thing." Nebi's tone was hard and unforgiving. "Our mission is at your advantage."

"That's why I feel safe that you will not kill me from behind since the mission is still active, and Takashi-san still trusted us to bring his mission reports back to Iwa." Naruto told the team. "I know how much you all value the missions being given to you, so I expect that you seek success for it."

"I regret having this mission; that I needed to keep my temper on while a ninja from other _ninja village _scorns the value of _our _mission. I hate––" Nebi wasn't able to finish his statement when the blond shinobi stopped from hopping on the tree branches and faced him. Naruto was looking at him with pure sadness. Nebi was expecting some tint of irritation and annoyance from his face, but he failed to see it in Naruto's broken gaze. Naruto slowly went nearer to Nebi.

When he reached the older ninja, Naruto began to talk. "Nebi-kun, you want answers but you seem to have no patience for me to explain. You wanted to know the truth by you are basically pushing it away from you." Naruto held his hand in a fist, trying not to break any tears in his eyes. "I thought that you three would be the most understanding Iwa-ninjas even after you know the truth about me. I was already preparing myself to tell you all of my origins, but it seems that I didn't need to go as I planned. From what I see, it seems that the times that we have spent together were worthless over the knowledge of where I came from." Naruto paused. "If I can't have your trusts for the rest of the mission, rest assured that I will still finish mine – with or _without _you."

Before Sumi could react and stop her senpai from talking about such things, Naruto was gone when he was covered the cloud of smoke.

**

* * *

**

"Wow." Moko suddenly said while the three of them continued their ways back to Iwa. It was already the second day of their travel since they met and left Takashi in his own ways. It was also the first 48 hours that they hadn't seen any traces of Naruto for them to escort. The word that slipped from the mouth of the young adult came into the ears of Sumi and Nebi, which brought their stingy eyes to him. Moko knew that he had caught of the other two's attention and used the opportunity to talk to them as friends again. "I never thought that we could hit a very soft spot in senpai."

Nebi cringed at the statement. Sumi just frowned. Moko was expecting those reactions.

"I was shocked." Sumi was the first one to talk. "I never knew that Naruto-senpai came from Konoha. All these months I've always believed that he is one great ninja that has been raised from Iwa. I couldn't just speak to him lately; my thoughts were going against my mouth."

"I know what you felt, Sumi." Moko replied. "It was something so big that it was maybe the reason as well why Naruto-senpai hid it from us." He sighed. "After all, in all those months he hadn't really talked about his family."

"Just don't make it deeper." Nebi finally said. "I know – it's my fault that Naruto-senpai that left us alone here."

"I don't want to spoil the seriousness, but, wow, Nebi, I never imagined that you would be admitting a _mistake _of your own!" Moko commented.

Two sets of eyes looked at Moko with killing intent, which silenced the oldest ninja in the team at the instant. Nebi frowned and looked at his feet as he jumped on those branches. He knew to himself that he didn't mean to hurt his senpai. It was just that he couldn't control his emotions regarding traitors. Not that he considered Naruto a traitor. It was just… his senpai didn't become that truthful to them as he expected. "I haven't been patient enough to listen to his words."

"Nebi…" Sumi was able to say his teammates name in empathizing sadness.

"I didn't mean to hurt Naruto-senpai." Nebi told them, which finally stopped them in their travel. "I didn't know that Naruto-senpai would take my words too seriously. I failed to realize the words he had always been telling us when everybody of us is together." Nebi frowned deeper, bowing his head more. "He's always been true to his words that we have been the closest people in his heart. He's always meant it when he tells us that he will protect us. Naruto-senpai really considers us his precious people – his family – and I quickly forget about it the moment I knew that he came from Konoha!" Nebi's voice trembled as a new feeling came into being inside him – guilt had been pulsating in his heart and sadness was telling him to apologize. "I should have thought of my words before telling those things to him."

"We're all wrong here, Nebi." Moko said in a gentle voice, smiling a bit that their quietest member was admitting something. "We all just need to apologize to him. I know we have hurt him because of how we reacted, but you know Naruto-senpai – he's too kind to completely ignore us."

"Yeah, Nebi." Sumi smiled a bit. "I think we should all apologize to Naruto-senpai." She then looked at Moko. "But I disagree about Moko's perception of senpai."

"Why?" Moko scratched his head.

"Because you make-him sound that he's more of a dumb than the kind one you are referring to."

"Alright, alright." Moko waved off the hidden accusation in the reply. "Before we apologize to him, I suggest that we find him first."

It was the first time in two days that Team Obsidian decided on something with their heads straight.

**

* * *

**

The air was unusually heavy that particular day. If he was to stick to traditional belief, it would mean that something grave had happened in some faraway place that was related to him. It was a sign that needed his attention. The stillness of the wind reminded him of the past that still haunted him relentlessly. The stagnancy of air was very strange and he didn't like it. He shared the same thought when there was something different in his surrounding that didn't work by his advantage. _But why will I concern myself to the supposed to be meaning of this phenomenon?_ He asked himself before he started walking at the clearing.

He was now finally alone – decisions would finally come from himself and from no one else. He was now his own master and freedom was just as bittersweet as any plot that required him to take someone's life as to gain something in return. But did he need some qualms in killing someone when _more _was going to benefit from it? Even though he knew he wasn't a good guy on the exterior, his mind could explain the difference between slaughter for some personal reason and killing to save some people. Although he wasn't close to the people he _indirectly _save, he was somewhat satisfied that the defiance of the value of life would stop – for now.

He wasn't a prisoner. He was actually not treated as one in the past. But yet he considered his present freedom as a legitimate one everyone else valued. He didn't miss the surroundings and the environment, or even the outside world. What he was glad for was that he was in control again, not being overruled by somebody else who knew no one but himself. He wasn't just a follower, but for that moment in the past he needed to be. Patience had always given its reward when the goal is near. And nothing was sweeter than exacting the vexation hidden under the blanket of patience.

And why was he concerned about the thoughts that he had hidden in the past? Well, because it was the first time _again _that he would step out from that horrid place. It was the grand moment that he would get to see again what had changed in the world. It was the new time that he had a idea in mind.

Upon walking in among the trees, his chakra and sound being hidden in a gracious manner as not to attract attention, he saw some some ninjas walking cautiously. He stopped for a while and observed the group. As his eyes continued to scan those faces, what he saw quickly got his attention.

As the group walked silently, the man saw that all of them were revealing some forehead protectors from their bags and put in into their body. He narrowed his eyes to see what was inscribed in it.

His lips arched into a very small frown. It wasn't every day that he saw ninjas from Iwagakure that were walking comfortably at the territory of the Country of Fire.

**

* * *

**

"Nebi, how much time is left before _three_?" _Look at three _o'clock. Moko softly said, and then looked gently at Sumi. "Sumi-chan, what do you think of a _wonderful_ afternoon?" Moko smiled to her. _Get ready you jutsus_. The hidden message was sent under his sentences.

"It's still almost an hour before three, Moko." Nebi answered, while putting on his so-ever impassive face to this team. _I sense him; he's watching us_.

"It will be better if we go home as soon as possible! Then it will be a great afternoon for all of us!" Sumi answered. _I'm always prepared as Naruto-senpai taught me_.

"Well then – it will take a long time before we can reach our destination." Moko said.

**

* * *

**

The man didn't feel the presence behind him when it was already some four feet away from him.

Realizing that he didn't have the time to get to touch his favorite weapon, the man turned to his next item to fight off the attacker that appeared behind him. He revealed a kunai from whatever pouch he was hiding in his clothes and threw it to the enemy. When he saw the image of the attacker, he suddenly discerned it as the one with grey-hair in the group he was observing. Taking a quick glance from the road the team was taking, he was not that surprised when they had already disappeared from the path.

He flipped backward, not waiting for a counterattack from the enemy.

Nebi held to his kunai tightly, charging at the man for another attack. The latter took out another kunai, going into a defensive stance that would receive his offense. Kunai clashed with each other, the sound of metal to metal creating a cacophonous environment that destroyed the quietness of the forest. The man quickly kicked Nebi on his stomach, the teen losing his stance and going out of balance. It attracted the attention of the enemy for another attack to the already disadvantaged Nebi. He whirled the kunai in his hand, putting it in such a way that he could stab Nebi in an easier manner. As the kunai went into a piercing speed to Nebi's abdomen, the late teen quickly reacted and dropped himself totally to the ground, using his feet to kick the weapon out of his way. After evading the kunai, Nebi rolled into the ground and stood again to meet the adversary.

The man was to throw his kunai again when he felt that the weapon was beginning to crumble in his hands. Before he realized it, he had no more weapons in his hand.

"Surprised?" Nebi talked to his enemy. "It's my Aggravated Rock Technique. It lets me petrify all the things I touch."

"Don't boast too much on a simple jutsu." The enemy said.

Nebi's eyes widened when he felt a kunai touch his throat. Someone talked from behind him. "Don't let your enemies go to your back." Before Nebi could make his escape, the man slit his throat in a swift and painless manner.

The man frowned when he saw that the Nebi he killed turned into mud and rejoined the ground after seconds.

_Earth clone?_

**

* * *

**

"Nebi, now!" Moko shouted as their enemy evaded his latest attack. A crater was suddenly formed when his fist made contact to the ground, sending bits of rocks and a cloud of dust into the area where the two fought.

But even before Nebi could react to Moko's order, the enemy finally knew that he needed to get rid of the ninjutsu user in their group. He landed solidly in the ground and facing the direction where Nebi was located. He performed some hand seals that could not be followed by simple looking. When he was finished, he cast and raised his hands to him, "Exploding Flame Shot!" Hands shot up from his hands, going straightly at the direction of Nebi. Nebi was caught in surprise when the fireballs came into his way.

"Water Release: Hand of Waves!" A feminine voice cast from a distance, and a jet of water came from the woman's direction to counter and negate the fireballs. The balls of fire exploded in impact but the water prevented the fire from scattering to Nebi and to the trees. As soon as the fire jutsu was out, Sumi appeared beside Nebi putting herself in front of her teammate to defend him. "Just work on your jutsu, Nebi! I'll support you!"

Nebi nodded and proceeded in creating some hand seals in a long manner.

The man was clearly irritated that he put out the kunoichi out of the equation of the fight. He dismissed her as no threat at all that he didn't mind her when their fight started to begin. He was about to jump to the trees to attack the duo when a hand grasp his right foot. "I'm also an enemy, you know." Moko spoke and smiled slyly. He whirled and threw the enemy into the tree on the other side of the clearing. The young adult was satisfied with what he did when his success turned into horror, when the body he threw 'poof-ed' into smoke and into a log. "Kawarimi!"

"I know." Nebi calmly said after he jumped from the branch and into the ground. "Earth Release: Rock Pillars Rising!" He used his ninjutsu to a tree just left of where Moko threw the body. Before hitting it with his jutsu, a body suddenly jumped out of the danger and went into the next tree. Nebi, still kneeling on a single knee, followed his enemy's movements with his eyes. He then made a single hand seal. "Earth Release: Earth Pillar Prison!" Another ninjutsu was cast.

The enemy was wary if more enemies would be attacking him as he made his escape from the earth spikes that came attackinghim. When he was musing, the earth suddenly released some bamboo-thick rock that tried to surround him. Knowing that a simple running maneuver couldn't outrun the jutsu, he gathered some chakra into his feet and dashed upward and forward. He had barely managed to escape from the prison.

Nebi glared at how good at evading the enemy was. He shifted his hands into another seal. "Earth Release: Rock Staff!" He suddenly took hold of the rock in front of him. It suddenly changed into a staff-like appearance and he hurled it towards the enemy.

_He's good._ The enemy commented into his mind. _He could perform simultaneous jutsus with a single shift in his hand seal_. He was to evade the rock staff when something happened.

"Split!" Nebi shouted as he accompanied by another change in hand seals. The Rock Staff suddenly split into several pieces

but still maintaining precision in their target. It went into tens then into some hundreds, which would not let their enemy.

"_Kuso_." The enemy was able to mutter. He decided that he wouldn't need to play anymore, since his enemy were not treating it as one either. He then did something, before he totally disappeared from the rain of staffs.

"What the––?!" Nebi was cast out of his own concentration when he saw their enemy vanished in their eyes. The staff hit some unfortunate trees in its course, which destroyed much of the forest in that direction. "Where did he go?"

As if the enemy was kind enough, he appeared in front of the three ninjas, his eyes flashing them some sinister messages that everyone could comprehend.

"Moko, there's something wrong in his eyes." Sumi talked, looking deeply at the red irises with tomoes that surrounded a central pupil.

"Well, let's not waste time to know what happened to his eyes…" Moko replied and charged to the enemy once again.

"Earth Release: Earth Flow Divide!" Nebi cast and then performed another jutsu that wasn't so normally utilized by most ninja. "_Kage Bunshin Technique!_" Another Nebi appeared beside him. "Now, Sumi!"

Sumi nodded and went side by side with the clone Nebi. "Water Release: Water Encampment Slicing Wall!" Sumi and the clone cast at the same time. When the jutsu was cast, it travelled on the side of Nebi's earlier Earth Release jutsu. The purpose of the combined attack was that the water jutsu was to complement the Earth Divide. Since the chasm being created by the jutsu would be easily evaded by jumping into the sides of the rift, the water jutsu that was a modified wall that could slice things when touched upon would prevent any escape from people trying to flee from the earth jutsu.

"You will not escape that!" Sumi exclaimed.

Their enemy just jumped in a great height that staggered Nebi and Sumi. He then performed another fire jutsu to dispel the water wall.

"We're not done yet!" Moko shouted, a fist coming from him going towards the enemy. The latter just used the fist as a stable ground for his landing. He jumped in his hand and landed on the earth. Moko lost balance but was able to regain his stature.

"This is becoming tiring." The enemy declared. A lightning orb suddenly formed in his mind before he had reshaped in into another justu. "Chidori Senbon." He suddenly threw the lightning in his hands towards Moko's direction.

"Earth Release: Earth Style Wall!" Nebi cast so as to protect his teammate. He was lucky that he had used it before the senbon could reach Moko. What surprised him was when the senbon hit the thick wall; it suddenly exploded in rocks and dusts. "How was that even possible?"

"I'm lightning. You're earth." The enemy said. "Now, face your ends."

Sumi helped Moko to go nearer to them. "Lightning? If _Naruto_-senpai is here, his wind element will take out his lightning easily…"

The enemy suddenly stopped his thoughts on killing the Iwa ninjas. He could swear he should not be hearing those names from just any other ninja – and not from a bunch of Iwagakure ninjas. Why did his past take another solid form and visited him for another time? Why could that name always bring him into a halt when he was to do something? And what was the relationship of this ninjas to _Naruto_? How did they know of him? Knowing that the question in his mind would remain a question if he wasn't going to ask it, he decided to confront the group.

"You know Naruto?"

The name suddenly brought the attention of the whole team to him, their eyes transfixed to him as if he was a wonder that they were trying to unbury for many years now. They looked at him as if he was a ghost that came back into the world to haunt them. What was in that name that stopped people from their works and go _idiotic_?

"So you're from Konoha too?" Nebi was courageous to ask.

"Nothing that you are concerned of." The enemy answered. "I ask again – you know Naruto?"

"Yes." Nebi looked at him with disdain. "What do you need of him?"

"How do you know him?"

"You're not answering our question." Nebi replied.

"How the hell did you know about him?!"

"Sumi-chan, Nebi-kun, Moko-niichan," a voice called them from a nearby tree, prompting the three to look at the direction. The man who confronted Obsidian was tricked to look there too. The man was transfixed when he saw somebody he shouldn't be seeing at the moment.

"It seemed that you had a great fight here." The blond shinobi jumped from the branch and went nearer to Obsidian's direction. "Are you hurt?"

"No, Naruto-senpai." Sumi answered. "Most of the fight happened that we were the ones throwing jutsus against him, that's why we met almost no scars in the battle."

"That's good."

"_Naruto_?" The voice became stern and soft and the same time. "What the hell are you doing in that _costume_?"

"You three," Naruto said to them, but not giving them a look. "You found a competent enemy." He gave the man a grin. "How are you, _Sasuke_?"

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

When I was a reader myself, I so much hate cliffhangers.

Thanks for reading and I'm still sorry for the grammar.

**Thanks very much **to those who will give me **reviews**.


	8. Fleet of Words

**Author's Note/Message:** So this has been the longest time that I haven't' updated my story. I'm so sorry for this for I am overburdened by too much works that a seventeen-year old couldn't handle easily. As much as I want to make an update, my sleeping time has been practically decreased into 3 hours, since paperworks is at its full-height time. Anyways, I promise that I will finish this no matter what.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto. I don't.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 7 – Fleet of Words**

"I'm impressed that you are still able to go inside Konoha, without you being noticed by most of the people." A feminine but stern voice told the newcomer, breaking the silence that was lingering inside the room for a long time since that day. Light almond eyes came looking at the standing figure, tired eyes calculating the stature that the other one was showing. Drifting some seconds at the whole figure, the woman decided to transfix her eyes at the face of the person.

"Well, for my _research_,impossibility just does not come into my way." The other one replied, grinning briefly and then returning into a serious face. The man started to walk nearer to the window, leaning at the sill and observing the scenery outside the office. He chose to let silence reign for a while, since he wasn't sure as well if the old ways were as effective as before. He let his imagination float for a while, picture and images forming into some productive thoughts that he could use for the next time.

The woman succumbed into silence and just then settled on doing her daily paper works to serve as distraction for the moment. She needed something that could make her forget the things that were presently plaguing her mind, and she knew just the right thing that could make so that didn't involve alcohol. She started rummaging through the stack of papers, identifying the pieces that needed her immediate attention for the moment. She got the ones that came from the Fire Country's daimyo and quickly automated her hands to do the work.

"I was surprised to know that you have finally told the _truth_…" The man said, glancing at the woman using his eyes in periphery. The woman stopped suddenly, but then resumed in doing her task. "But I'm still unaware of the reason why the _whole _of it isn't said."

"I couldn't make any better choice than that, _Jiraiya_." The woman talked, now turning her gaze to the man with long white hair spiked in an almost randomness. "I don't need more problems that I can't handle right now." The woman then faced the horror called papers, and then letting her hands do that repetitive work again.

"But why in the world tell it now, Tsunade?" Jiraiya then removed himself from the position and faced her. "It doesn't make sense."

"Of course, since I am still the only one who knows the real reason why I told them _his _death." Tsunade answered.

"So that would mean that it's just not your _conscience _bothering you that made you tell about it." Jiraiya answered.

Tsunade winced at what Jiraiya said. _Conscience?_ Why would conscience even bother her? Did she do something in the past that would make her feel guilty? Did she do something wrong back then that lead Naruto his _final _fate? She then stood from her sit and pushed the chair away. She slowly walked and went to Jiraiya's side and stared outside the window. "There is a deeper reason as I've implied it."

"You can never hide it as much as you want it to be concealed." Jiraiya said. "Although, I'm interested to know what made you tell about it with _scrambling _it into an almost a hundred and eighty turn."

"It's still the truth. And whatever you do to the truth, it will remain as the truth even behind any _lies_."

"So you're not denying that you chose to _lie_?"

"As long as no one knows that I _lied_, everyone will perceive it as the truth."

"And I never knew you were such the philosophical one, Tsunade." Jiraiya said to relieve some of the tension building between them. Tsunade wasn't acting normally – hell, she'd been like that for some _years _now. Jiraiya couldn't even imagine his friend being not being pulled into her sake attitude and her passion for gambling. It seemed that she had gambled her all and lost; and all the sake in the world had turned into poisons. Jiraiya sighed; it was one reason he formulated lately why he always tried to go away from Konoha – he couldn't almost bear to see Tsunade in her _depressed _state.

"It's better than telling what really happened." Tsunade answered.

"The longer the truth is hidden, the heavier it becomes." Jiraiya retorted. "You will never know how much it will affect the people."

"So you're telling me that what I just did was wrong?" Tsunade raised an eyebrow; her eyes looking painfully at the man near him.

"To tell you the truth, what you did was the opposite of help." Jiraiya's voice was stern and serious, which made Tsunade rethink her plan of punching him to show him what was the meaning of the decision-maker and almost three days of sorting out what to say. "Tsunade, in all those years that I know you, this is the first time you messed up the most. Say, how can you have a back-up plan for this?"

"That's why you're here, isn't it?" Tsunade darted a look on Jiraiya. The latter flashed a small smile before it faltered, then bowing his head slightly in small defeat.

"Alright, Tsunade, you hit the spot." Jiraiya said, scratching the back of his head. "Even though how much have changed, you are still my old teammate and friend. I should be helping you since I was the one who had asked you of the position and I'm still willing to help you out." He told her. "So, what's up this time?"

Tsunade shifted her posture and placed her arms crossing on her chest. She then looked again outside the window. "It seems that Root knows what really happened to Naruto."

"Are you certain?" Jiraiya sent a dubious gaze.

"Yes. Root was the reason why I made the announcement in the first place." Tsunade replied.

"Really?" Jiraiya said, mimicking Tsunade by crossing his arms as well. "So you made up a bluff to kill some knowledge that you think they possess, which is related to Naruto?"

"That was the case." Tsunade sighed. "But the effect seems a little different from what I expected." Tsunade walked nearer to her table, opened a drawer and got a small scroll. After opening a small wound on her thumb, she smeared some blood into the seal that held the scroll. Assured that it was safe to open, Tsunade unrolled the thing and started looking on it at random spots. "According to ANBU spies that I've sent, it seems that the suspicion of Root regarding the reality of Naruto has just doubled – or may have just proven it all the while."

"Tsunade, don't concern yourself too much on Root." Jiraiya said. "First of all, what made you think that Root will gain something about the knowledge of Naruto's real fate?"

Tsunade then paused for a while, her mind suddenly running through ideas that she had formed in all the moments that she planned for the announcement. What made her think that Root will make something out of it? Besides, she just discretely told them the truth, even though it was changed up a bit, but nonetheless the truth. What threatened her about Root possessing the same information as her? "I… I don't know."

"Although that is quite interesting." Jiraiya said, putting his hand on his chin, thinking deeply as he stared at the floor. "I know Root will always have its eyes looking at Naruto, but I can't just see their motive in trying to know _everything _about him. It seems that there is just more than what happened to Naruto that concerned them."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't know. But if I can still make some researches about it, maybe I can tell you what really is happening." Jiraiya said.

"But how about your status in the village?"

"What do you mean?"

"There are still people in the village who like Naruto. There are great chances that they will bump into you." Tsunade explained.

"I assume Konoha 11 is having a hard time on this one. But they need to accept it." Jiraiya said. "I don't have to explain much."

"Not yet. Not still this time." Tsunade responded. "The only one from Konoha 11 who was present in my announcement was Shikamaru. He didn't take it lightly." She shifted her position and sat on the chair. "Most of Konoha 11 was sent on a mission, and I doubt if they knew anything of this. But I already sent some ANBUs to tell them."

"Sent some ANBUs?" Jiraiya sounded curious. "I never heard ANBUs being sent for that kind of mission…"

"I don't want to deal with their reactions when they know about it." Tsunade held her temple, some pain forming in her head.

"That's so selfish of you." Jiraiya said.

"I don't care!" Tsunade almost yelled. Nawaki. Dan. Then Naruto. Tsunade couldn't take more deaths that she could handle. Every precious people that she had died because of their dream of wanting to protect their village. People that she loved had perished because of their love of Konoha. She couldn't understand why their vigor in protecting the village was rewarded by death itself. Why was fate so harsh? When she knew about his death, she almost broke down and she went into depression for almost a month. The hardest thing was that she didn't want anyone else to know about it and so she had to pretend as if nothing had happened. It was really hard to look strong and powerful when you're crying inside. It was hard to show your strength when your weakness had conquered you already. It was very hard on her part – and she didn't want to see the people close to Naruto being saddened by the news. She didn't know if she could take more.

"But telling them in the middle of the mission will just burden them."

"No. I made sure that the ANBUs will tell them after they've done their mission." Tsunade quickly answered. "Kami… I think I need some tea."

Jiraiya almost fainted when Tsunade started to ask for any other drink than sake.

**

* * *

**

Yamato, Sai and Sakura went into their defensive positions when they felt a presence that appeared suddenly some distance away from them. Acting warily, Yamato sent the other two to prepare and engage in battle. Sai got his tanto as Sakura reshifted her gloves and started gathering chakra in her hands.

"Konoha ninja, don't be alarmed." The voice said. Sakura looked at Yamato, who gave her the order to lower their stances.

"What could bring a lone ANBU here?" Yamato asked aloud, as a body appeared in front of the group.

"I was sent here by Tsunade-sama to bring you some message. She insisted that the ANBU do this one." The masked-ANBU answered, glancing at Yamato since he seemed to have some recognition of him. He couldn't just remember where.

"Why will Tsunade-sama send some message hurriedly? Couldn't she wait for us to return to Konoha?" Sakura inquired.

"She _insisted_." The ANBU answered. "Can I begin now?" He looked at Yamato, since he seemed to be the commanding leader in the group.

"As you wish."

The ANBU started talking. "I want to tell you that the message I will be telling is not written in any official scrolls, since the Hokage had no time to write them for Konoha 11. I will be telling it orally, and I wish that all of you listen to this carefully. It was sent to the ANBU since this message is considered an A-class priority message."

Sakura gulped. If it was A-class, it meant something big had happened that needed their immediate attention.

"Three days ago, the Hokage made an announcement regarding Uzumaki Naruto." The ANBU said which made Sakura tense up. She had to stop herself from asking the ANBU if her blond teammate had finally returned to Konoha. "The Hokage had relayed to all Jonin and Chunin of Konoha that Uzumaki Naruto had died in the hands of rogue ninjas that were helped by the Otogakure."

That didn't go right in Sakura's ear.

"What did you say?"

"I told you to listen to what I am going to say." The ANBu said sternly. "Now that I have relayed in unto you, I shall go now." He suddenly disappeared in sight, leaving the shocked Sakura looking at where the man once stood. She wanted to ask him more, but her mouth was left hanging that she wasn't able to use it. Her blood went cold, as her breathing began to deepen.

"Naruto…?" She was able to say. Then she broke down and let herself fell to the ground, tears swelling from her eyes and sobbing with her all might just as to express her feelings. "Naruto… Please, tell me it's not true. Tell me!" She shouted. She wailed. She didn't want to believe what had been told to them. It wasn't the truth. It was a lie! _Please, somebody tell me it isn't true!_

_Naruto? Why do you need to leave me now?_ Sakura bowed her head, tears now falling into the ground. Naruto. The person who promised her to bring Sasuke back. The person who would always be considering her as someone special. The person who was her teammate – their loud and boisterous blond that brought light amidst the darkness.

Why did she need to be always left out by her teammates?

_Naruto… _She was saying his name in her mind, the memories of their past registering in her thoughts. Naruto promised to be strong. Naruto promised to be Hokage. Why leave now when there were more people believing in him? Why leave now when he was beginning to get stronger? Why did he leave when she was starting to believe that Naruto could do the impossible?

_Did you not care about your team? Did you not consider Sasuke-kun? Did you not consider _me_?_Sakura continued to lament in her own, asking some questions that she wished she could have asked. Weren't his team enough for him to continue living? Had Naruto finally crumbled and lost hope that he died? Why did he die? Why did he need to?

_Why, Naruto? Why is it that when I'm already considering you, you left me out alone?_ Sakura had one final question, before her body gave up in fatigue and weakness.

**

* * *

**

Egret stopped when an ANBU halted him in proceeding in his way. Egret felt annoyed that some other ANBU was trying to stall him of his missions. And as long as he could remember, no other ANBU tried to confront him in an aggressive manner, since all other ANBUs that did it was either out of commission or _dead_. Well, after the multiple events that slowly decreased the number of ANBUs in the rank, the _only _Hokage he was loyal to had finally ordered him that when some ANBU started blocking his way, it meant that a message would be conveyed – and it would be a very important message.

Since the mask would always cover the emotions in their face, Egret let his mouth pout in the greatest. _Damn_, his record for mission times would be affected by this sudden appearance of this pitiful message-carrying ANBU! He continued to stare at the ANBU in front of him, waiting for him to speak up. "Now."

The other ANBU looked at Egret with dismay and fear, with the latter more apparent in his side. He knew that the person behind that mask was the greatest ANBU that had ever lived in Konoha. There was actually a note given to ANBUs whose mission went side by side with that ANBU. It wasn't on the ANBU's 'job description' to fear somebody, since their mission would always require them to face the greatest of enemies. But – no – _that _ANBU was a very different case from just a normal one. It had been recorded that Egret had killed multiple _fellow _ANBU for acting too weak and not finishing the mission in perfection. The Sandaime had already tried to prevent more ANBU killings by directly supervising the actions of Egret, but, the discouraging thing was that, he had let him continue to go in the ANBU business. How could they let some ANBU freak continue going on work whose ideas were killing some ally if his expectations were not met? "I didn't come to report to you. The Hokage told me to tell it directly to Hatake Kakashi." The ANBU said courageously, not fearing if Egret would strike him to death, since he was sure that the order for him not to kill anymore was still present.

"Fine." Egret answered, crossing his arms in annoyance. "You pervert Jonin, will you hurry up? You're dragging me for the mission." He said, looking at Kakashi who was still tree-hopping at some distance.

When Kakashi reached the spot where Egret and another ANBU stood, he gave a killer gaze to Egret before looking at the newcomer ANBU. "What is it?"

"Will everyone talk faster? My missions are waiting for me." Egret suddenly said, which earned him the murderous glances of Kakashi and the ANBU.

"Egret, I still haven't able to think of the reason why the Hokage wants an ANBU like you." Kakashi said. "You never value teamwork and insisted that you can do missions by yourself. You know, in Konoha, ones like you are called nuisance."

"Hatake-san," Egret turned into addressing Kakashi formally, which suggested that he was becoming serious. "We are different types of ninja. You worthless Jonins pose as the normal ninjas that does the work for the village and you appear as the ideal ninja that brings peace and kindness to the people. We ANBU are made to kill. We ANBU are the _perfect _ninja, not just the ideal ones that you are expected to pose as a paradigm to the puny chunins and genins. You are all _insignificant_." Egret said, owning him a punch from Kakashi, which he quickly evaded. "Gee, Hatake-san, I thought ninja should gain composure of their emotions. You're a hypocrite if you do that again."

"Because you sounded like a ninja that never came from Konoha." Kakashi said, contemplating in his earlier reactions. He could not remember any instance that brought him irritation to the point that he was attacking his teammates. He didn't know how could the person with bring him the emotions hidden beneath his heart and mind, and it was annoying for him to be just pushed around by another ninja. He was Hatake Kakashi for Kami's sake! He was Konoha's elite ninjas, the Copycat ninja that knew of a thousand techniques! He was also an ANBU once; he should know better in suppressing his emotions! "You worthless piece of ingrate."

"It's better to be an ingrate than to have not contributed any part on _this _mission." Egret said. "You know, I should make a report to the Hokage to tell her how much useless you have become in this mission. No wonder Konoha's ninja efficiency in mission are lowering."

That's it. He would Chidori the man beside him.

"Hatake-san, please listen to this message, since Tsunade-sama insisted for the Konoha 11, you, and Umino Iruka-san of the Academy to know of this information as soon as possible." The ANBU had the guts to break the conversation; since he knew what he was going to tell them was a high-ranked priority message. After getting the attention of Kakashi, the ANBU started to relay the message that Tsunade had announced three days ago. As soon as he was finished in telling the message, Kakashi's visible eye widened in surprise. The ANBU excused himself and left the two.

Egret could feel that Kakashi's chakra was spiking dangerously. He glanced at the Jonin and looked at him.

"WHY?!" Kakashi suddenly shouted aloud, punching a tree trunk and destroying it on the process. He stood defeated – defeated by the knowledge that he failed to protect someone close to him again. He failed again. He had lost Obito, Rin, his sensei… and now, Naruto. He blamed himself inwardly. Now, there was more burden that he would carry in his heart, as another name would be written at the stone that he always visited before meeting up with his team.

That time, Egret could not make a single comment. He knew he would die as soon as he spoke a word.

**. . .**

Danzo stood inside his humble office, observing the natural flow of the world that could be seen from there. He stood firmly, his mind going through circles as he could not make out anything from the available information laid out in front of him. He knew that those written reports were as valuable as anything, but he could not process anything for the moment. Information was worthless unless it could be converted into knowledge. That time, there weren't just any other available parameters that could point him into a graspable notion. He was damned for the moment.

The knowledge of Naruto's death wasn't a secret to Root – almost every Root ANBU knew about it since he would send them to spy over Tsunade's office to gather some information. Their knowledge of Narutohad been circulating inside the Foundation for some time now, and he had the greatest idea as to why Tsunade had already announced it to most of Konoha ninja.

Tsunade had gathered some intelligence that Root was aware of the truth. And so as to kill the misgiving, she blatantly told it.

Announcing it or not, Root would be satisfied with its present information. The death of Naruto wasn't anything grand for them. It wouldn't bother them, but actually held some degree of help to them. Naruto was a loyal ninja to the present Konoha leadership – therefore loyal to Tsunade – and was already a _pest _since he could easily get the trust of more people as his associations with them went deeper. His death meant that one more of the loyal Konoha-nins were one step to success for Root.

Even though Naruto's death was one in the list of Danzo's goals, the announcement of his death wasn't the one he was expecting. He was practically confident that Tsunade would hide it as much as she could for a long time, and he found it good that the Hokage was doing a great job for holding off the release of the information. But since that it seemed that the Fourth Hokage was a little frustrated about Root, she planned that it could help if the publicity of the truth would help her. And that was what Danzo feared to happen.

The announcement of Naruto's death was not on the plan.

"You don't know what you are doing, Tsunade." He said, talking to himself. "I am already appease that you are trying to hide about Naruto's death, but you failed me again when you revealed the information." His left hand formed fist. "The information must not come out of Konoha, but eventually it will. What you've done will give you some consequences that you will not be able to handle."

"I should have not done _it_."

**. . .**

"How dare you hurt _my _team?!" Naruto suddenly exploded in anger and annoyance. Nebi, Sumi, and Moko stood stunned when they saw their senpai rushing again in fits of fury and agitation. They could only gasp when they saw the man they fought earlier – the one their senpai called 'Sasuke' – being thrown into the nearby tree.

Sasuke looked shocked when he hit the tree, pain forming in his cheeks. One second Naruto disappeared and then appeared beside, punching him chakra-enhanced fist. Naruto was fuming, Sasuke could clearly see that. He could not understand the sudden change in emotion that the blond showed. Lately he was grinning, and then suddenly he attacked him without notice. Was this the Naruto that he knew from the past? When did he know to attack at such speed?

"No one will hurt _my_ team, if I am here! I will kill those people who take them away from me!" Naruto continued to yell to Sasuke as he went nearer to him. "Next time," Naruto said sternly, you will wish you have not encountered _my _team." Naruto suddenly formed some chakra into his hands, manipulating and forming a shape from the energy in his palm. He jumped, and then said, "Rasengan!" His attack was directed to Sasuke. And before he could decide if he would make another attack after he escaped, he knew he was being held up by four Naruto's that took grasp of his extremities.

_Kuso_.

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter -**

Grieving moments aren't just my forte. I'll give more time for our dear Konoha ninjas... This is not a cliff hanger!

Next week is still hell week. You see, even my Saturdays and Sundays are still preoccupied by schoolworks. I hate this!

Sorry for the wrong grammars!

**And thank you for the reviews!**


	9. Nightmares

**Author's Note/Message: **Here is another chapter. Please take note that I didn't have the time to proofread it since I am out of time and I have to do something about some Drug Analysis [hate those contraindications and adverse effects]. I'm sorry for the wrong grammar, and I promise I'll do something about it if I have time [maybe not]. Christmas break is near and that will be the time that I can work a lot for this FanFic.

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 8 – Nightmares**

The fires were burning relentlessly onto his skin, as if it had no satiation when it came to its victim. The flames were eating up his very flesh, and it didn't mind if he would destroy him in the process – it was its goal to destroy, after all.

Naruto could not even scream – he was too weakened to struggle. His voice had failed him, as his body did. Now, he was facing the eternal wrath of fire, and he was going to succumb to it in to time.

_It hurts! Get me away from this! _His mind was shouting, but all he could do was to watch the searing heat torch his very skin and flesh, his blood drying off due to the heat, as if water desiccated when exposed to fire. _Please! Kill it off! It's painful–!_ Naruto faltered even in his mind. His mind, his thoughts, the only living place in his body, was finally being defeated by the flames.

Naruto's sight was dimming, the scenery laid in his eyes were concoction of darkness and light. After dozing in that spectacle, Naruto felt the pain relieving slowly. As his eyes finally shut close and the fires that tormented him were nowhere to be seen, Naruto drifted afloat into a world where the subconscious seemed to lay. He stayed there and waited for the end. He was no dumb; he knew from the time that _they _had set the fires to him, he would meet his end, with the stupid _fox _helping him or not. _They _just made sure that he couldn't live after all that _they_'d done to him.

But again in the unconscious, the familiar sight of the fire that killed him started glowing again from the distance, then scattering as if it was water just flowing freely everywhere. The fire reached him, and again it swallowed him whole. When Naruto thought that everything was going to end and he wasn't going to suffer, everything just repeated and he was screaming because of the charring heat that burnt close to him.

And for that moment he knew he wasn't going to be relieved of those suffering; his death had finally cradled him, but it brought with it the punishment he had when he was still living.

"_Naruto_."

He heard his name. He suddenly opened his eyes that he closed because he didn't want to see again the visage of fire that was consuming him. When his cerulean orb met with the surrounding, the pain around Naruto suddenly vanished, and all that he could see was stillness and peace that offered him small protection.

He was lying on a on the ground in a bedroll, under the dark night and the starry sky. He had been thankful that it was just a _dream _again – no, a nightmare if to be considered normally. And under those twinkling stars was the comfort that Naruto could only find in them. The cold night and the specks of light that he was seeing brought him into a sense of calmness, even though he knew he was still out of the field. He shifted his position, looking slightly left and saw the moon on its crescent and waning form. He really never appreciated the moon, and so he regarded it less than the stars. Knowing that there wasn't really interesting to be looked at on the moon, he decided that he needed to get up already and try to find where on the world was Team Obsidian.

He raised himself from bed, putting himself in a sitting position. And when he did, it seemed that the world had stopped when he saw someone he shouldn't be seeing. His eyes widening in surprise, he suddenly talked, mouth stuttering. "_Sasuke_?"

Sasuke stared blankly at the blond shinobi, hiding the turmoil of his own when he saw the other one in shock upon seeing him. He continued to look sharply at the eyes of the blond, before the latter withdrew his own and looked at a different direction.

"Team Obsidian mustn't have left you here alone." Naruto began to talk, now standing from the bedroll. "You are dangerous to be left alone." He declared, as he rolled the bed into its small bag. He glanced at Sasuke and then he saw that the raven was covered with earth from his shoulders down to his abdomen, his arms clearly inside that thick mass. Knowing instantly what jutsu was used to tie Sasuke down, Naruto decided that the team had done some secure measurements before leaving their prisoner. "I see. I hope the earth shackles isn't too uncomfortable."

Sasuke didn't reply. He continued to glare at Naruto as if his glares could really kill him.

"Next time, I'll recommend them that they also shut your eyes close." Naruto said, glancing around to see some traces left by the team. "They're eerie."

"You are not Naruto." Sasuke suddenly talked, which surprised Naruto a lot.

"What made you say so?" Naruto asked. "Who are you to tell that without knowing what is needed to be known?"

"And I thought that stupid blond I _supposed _to know will never betray _Konoha_…"

"Oh please cut the crap out." Naruto replied easily, not being antagonized by the name the raven said. By the tone Sasuke said it, Naruto was deeply sure that the other ninja was trying to imply something. And for Naruto, implications that were _discretely_ relayed were never trusted by him. "You don't know anything."

"I know some." Sasuke said sharply. "Orochimaru told me things."

"Well, I'm so sorry I forgot that you have that albino snake freak as your teacher, Sasuke." Naruto said, composing himself into the serious Naruto that he had created as a personality some years ago. "But as to what he told you, I don't care about it."

Sasuke looked curiously at Naruto. He knew at the moment that he started fighting for the team he called 'Obsidian'; Naruto wasn't affiliated to Konoha anymore. And because of the forehead protectors they were all wearing, he identified Naruto as being an Iwagakure ninja now. That information was never handed to him and nothing about the present situation of him were circulating in Orochimaru's lair. The only thing that Orochimaru's information network knew about was the Naruto wasn't in Konoha; he was being trained by the toad Sannin, Jiraiya. But as from what he saw from today, there was something amiss with all the information that he knew. Naruto was obviously hiding something.

"Orochimaru told me about your _tenant_."

That made Naruto stop in his feet. He made a silent growl, only which could be heard by him. He hated it when people talked about the prisoner he was carrying inside – yes, he hated it so much. Just before his 'death' he knew that it was still the fox inside him as the reason why many planned to kill him. It was disheartening to know that many people were now becoming aware of the being sealed inside him. "Another killer then found another target." Naruto hissed. "You cannot kill me." He glared at him.

"Was it the reason why you're strong?"

"Please, Sasuke." Naruto looked at the raven with angry eyes. "If you're still so obsessed with power that you begin envying those around you, then I should point out that I never wanted the power of this _monster _inside me." He told him. "I never needed the power of the Kyuubi to be strong; I am Naruto and I have my own ways of becoming powerful." He smirked evilly. "But then I guess that you concluded that I utilize Kyuubi for my own cause is because you know the feeling of depending on something that is in your body, am I wrong?"

Sasuke's eyebrows met.

"Your _great_ Sharingan is one of the reasons why many people regarded you as a prodigy. Just look at a caster using a jutsu with those eyes of yours, and then you suddenly know how to perform it." Naruto snarled. "You know how _lowly _is that capability in the ninja world? There isn't just getting strong because of copying, Sasuke. Evey ninja perseveres, and no one could never disdain himself even if he's weak – knowing the hard sacrifices of being a ninja is enough to be proud. But your stupid eyes destroy the image of a real ninja. A ninja is about _knowing_, not _copying_." Naruto said to Sasuke. The latter winced. He knew Naruto could make out some speeches of his own when they were still young. But he never imagined Naruto scorn someone's uniqueness, and he could just take it.

Were they going to repeat those hurtful words in the Valley of the End?

"What _happened_?" Sasuke suddenly asked, flushing out all the anger that suddenly built when Naruto talked. He was so surprised to himself that he gasped after he asked the question. What could be the reason? Curiosity? Or maybe he was just too tired of fighting the blond that could go stronger than him whatever he did. No, Uchicha Sasuke wouldn't fail against anyone, not even the blond. But still, there were just some things that bothered his mind, and one of that was Naruto becoming an Iwa-nin. _What the hell just happened when I was gone?_

Naruto seemed to have been hit in the head by the largest boulders found in Iwagakure. Sasuke didn't respond to _defend _his clan? That was just _hell_. The Uzumaki couldn't understand what was happening that night. It was so weird to see Sasuke acting in a pacified manner, not throwing those killer glances that he known for. Did the snake sannin put something in his head? Or he had finally made Sasuke crazy that he had reverted into a _kinder _person? Or was he acting so that he could _strike _a chance to attack him? "As of you can mock me, Sasuke." He looked away from the raven. "That earth shackle – I suppose – was created by one of the Obsidian, the one with the grey hair. And I don't think you can make a surprise attack against me by asking that question. With Nebi's incredible shackle jutsu strengthened by a _seal_ and my not-easily-mocked mind, I know you can't do something to harm me."

"Are you even listening to your words?" Sasuke retorted. "As if I can really go out of this bind. If I can, then I could have just escaped some hours ago."

Naruto understood the point. If Sasuke had the capability to escape, then he must have done it a while ago – while he was sleeping. That just proved that Nebi's jutsu was as powerful as expected. But what about the sudden question? He was sure that Sasuke had to know the psychology of human mind, since he had Kabuto to help him train under Orochimaru. The eerier medic-right hand man ninja of Orochimaru could easily twist the minds of the people around him. He knew Sasuke was using some words for him to soften or to lose guard, and then he would attack him. But he just knew Sasuke couldn't go out of the shackles – but that he could not totally be sure of.

Or was he just being _paranoid_?

"Stop talking to me, Sasuke. I know you're just drilling into my mind to expose my weakness." Naruto said sternly, giving Sasuke a dangerous glance.

Sasuke just hit the right spot. "Really?"

"Words do not work against me." Naruto answered.

"Or you're just afraid?" Sasuke replied. "I can see in your eyes that you're being pressured."

He was sure for now. Sasuke was doing something in his psyche. Naruto then put his hand slowly in his kunai pouch, since he had to admit that the raven was beginning to be a _threat _against him. He knew that if he let this continue, Sasuke would win and he could attack him while he was unaware.

"Pulling out a weapon just proves me that you are really––" Sasuke didn't have the time to finish the statement, when Naruto exclaimed and lunged towards Sasuke, kunai in hand. Just before the tip of the kunai could go into the middle of his eyes, Sasuke started to speak again. "Why are you having _nightmares_?"

The kunai stopped in its path, but was still able to reach Sasuke's skin. A trickle of blood came appearing from the tip of the weapon that made contact to Sasuke. Naruto's eyes were looking fazed, while Sasuke's continued to bore holes into the blond's figure. Slowly, Naruto backed down, throwing the kunai from his hands and letting it fall to the ground. He looked at Sasuke's face, which was still emotionless.

Inside Naruto, there was a small being that smiled amidst that chaos that was ensuing inside him. The smile told Naruto what to do so as to clear the problems plaguing his mind and heart. That time, there was some hope showing the darkness that filled up his interior. And for less than a second, Naruto had come up something in his mind, something that he had never thought of from before. In the past, only problems and trials faced him that he couldn't get his head straight. Now, that small being that smiled to him, had flashed small amount of light. And that light was enough for him to _be _again.

From that moment on, Naruto knew that changing motives was the start of _everything_.

"If you really want to know," Naruto said, biting his lips. "Then I will tell you." Sasuke was surprised, but showed none of it. He looked seriously at the blond, prompting the latter to start his tale."

**. . .**

"Now." Calm but ordering voice sounded through the trees, attracting the attention of the blond ninja that was jumping on his way through the dense are of trees. The said ninja stopped hopping from tree to tree, observing some changes from the three masked ninjas that were together with him. Of course, there was no simple way to know what faces they were making behind those masks, but the tanned and blond ninja had his other ways.

His eyes widened, jumping away from the tree branch he was actually on, and mentally cursing in his mind. _Kuso_…

As soon as his feet were out of contact of the branch, three kunais pierced the wood; thudding sounds proved that they were real weapons. The blond ninja, although didn't able to see where the weapon came from, had the obvious idea of what was already happening – the squad of masked ninja was attacking him. Even though stunned by the sudden realization, the ninja remembered to at least not to act rash for the moment. Seeing that the ninjas were not yet moving from their place, the blond one had found his time to verbally confront them.

"What are you doing?"

"Shut up, brat!" One of the mask figures exclaimed, which the blond ninja pinpointed as the one wearing the cat mask. Even though without seeing the mouth open, the clarity of his body tensing told the ninja that he was the one who talked. "Or do you not still understand?"

"What are you tal––" the ninja was still speaking when another ANBU cut him off. "You are still the idiot ninja they are talking about."

"That's enough." The first masked ninja who talked suddenly spoke, sending the others into silence. "We're just here to finish this mission, so cut the talks off." He said, with his voice stern and calculating at the same time. They slowly turned their heads towards the blond ninja, who suddenly paled because of the eyes staring at him. He wasn't still used to seeing too many people looking at him at once, even though he couldn't see their faces due to the masks.

"You're going to die now, _Naruto_."

Even before Naruto could react with the statement that only told of seriousness and pure aggression, he was suddenly caught from behind by metal chains that was shot connected to some kunais; the chains wrapped around his feet, his hands and his body, sending him trembling and falling from the branch to ground. The ANBU watched impassively as Naruto squirmed from the chains, trying to escape even before the slow march of the masked ninjas could reach him.

Naruto looked at them with fear and anger – two commonly fused emotions when in a life and death situation brought about by betrayal. He was wavering on the inside, but his eyes remained as strong as they were; his desperation to live fueling his eyes to continue burning the will of hope. He knew he couldn't die there; he had some many things to do before he could.

And no one could just tell Uzumaki Naruto when and how to die.

"This is going to be _easy_." The ANBU wearing the cat mask said, earning him the glare – although eyes obscured – that silenced him instantly. He nodded in slight fear, bringing a kunai nearer to the neck of the boy who was still trying to escape. Irritation suddenly shot up from him; he unexpectedly kicked Naruto on his side, which brought pain to the young shinobi but nonetheless helped the boy into an even more persistent attitude. "Stop moving, brat!" He shouted again.

Naruto stopped squirming and then looked straightly at the holes of the mask where the ANBU's eyes could be seen. Naruto glared at the ANBU, which finally signaled the man to do what had been assigned to them. In less than a second, a swift and flawless movement of his hand brought the razor-sharp part of the kunai into Naruto's neck, easily cutting up the young man's throat without any difficulty. As the final blow was given, Naruto's body exploded into smoke, surprising the ANBU that had done the _assassination _process.

"Tajū Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" A voice came not too far from where the cat-masked ANBU stood. Suddenly, thirty Narutos filled that particular part of the forest, which told the ANBU to prepare themselves from the coming assault. The ANBU ninjas prepared their weapons, kunais preferred as the primary weapon for the time.

"Do you think I'll die without a fight?!" The ever-loudmouthed Naruto shouted at the three ANBU, his clones accompanying him with his attack. Three Narutos launched their attack at the cat-masked ANBU, their feet all pointing into the face of the ninja. The ANBU parried, jumping at the branch out of harm's way. Seeing the irritated expressions of the Narutos that tried to hit him, he allowed himself a small smile as he landed at the branch. Without any warning, his landing on the wood failed because someone had kicked him from the branch itself, sending him falling to the ground. Flipping in mid-air, the cat-masked ANBU tried to retain his balance, placing his feet in a sure-stable position as soon as he settled on the firm ground.

Before he had made contact to the ground, he felt the presence of two more Narutos charging at his back to make another surprise attack on him. As soon as he had placed his feet on the ground, he made another jump, putting his feet into the direction of the two attackers. Putting force into the kick, he easily dispelled the two. As he was to land into the ground again, three more showed near his landing point, releasing their own kunais. He flicked his kunai to one clone, who wasn't able to evade and was easily dispelled. The other two then jumped, not waiting for the chance for the ANBU to use the ground again to make another jump attack. They threw their kunais to the ANBU.

The ANBU, knowing that he didn't have any stable spot to parry, received the attacked, two sharp objects piercing his chest and his stomach. His eyes widened as he knew that the attack was successful. The clones were on the verge of smiling when the ANBU turned into smoke and changed into a small piece of log. _Kawarimi_… The two clones thought the same idea, telling them to quickly look around the place as to where the ANBU was. Before they could even make a scan just in front of them, they were suddenly dispelled when two shurikens shot up from behind them.

The cat-masked ANBU looked satisfied as he mentally counted the number of clones he had dispelled. _Five… _He thought. _Well, if they were too easy to dispel, then we can defeat him in no time_.

"Rasengan!" Someone shouted from behind, triggering the cat-masked ANBU to look where the voice came from. He was surprised to see Naruto holding a blue swirling sphere, already aimed in his body. He cursed himself for not concentrating when they were still in the middle of a fight. He could only look in shock as Naruto went nearer and nearer into his location.

"Get out of there." A loud and deep voice suddenly intervened into the scenario, quickly snatching the attention of the cat-masked ANBU. He jumped backward for a very short distance, just enough not to be hit by a kunai that came from one of the trees. After that, more kunais came shooting from some distance, which caused Naruto to evade them rather than to concentrate into his attack with Rasengan. As soon as the flurry of kunais stopped, the third ANBU in there appeared from the thick leaves, jumping from tree to tree as it was becoming obvious that he was circling around Naruto.

Naruto slowly let his Rasengan dissipate, still not able to make out of what the ANBU was doing. He stepped backward, feeling one kunai that had pierced the ground. As soon as he had made contact with the weapon, the realization sunk in. The ANBU that had circled Naruto was smiling in anticipation as he watched the expression of the blond shinobi from clueless to _hopeless_. When Naruto's eyes widened in surprise, the ANBU pulled the wires he were holding while he went in circles around Naruto. The wires were connected on every kunai that they had thrown against Naruto. As he pulled the wires, everyone of which tied itself tightening around Naruto's body. Not only did it stopped Naruto from moving; it had also caught almost fifteen clones, all of them brought together in the middle of the clearings of kunai, struggling against the tight hold of the wires.

Naruto watched in horror as he saw the familiar hand seals being formed by the ANBU; he doubled his effort in escaping. When he was done doing the seals, the ANBU cast the ninjutsu, "Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique!" Suddenly, the ninja breathed fire into the wires. The fire began to crawl into the thin wires like it had its own life. As soon as it reached the mass, which where Naruto and his clone, the fire imploded on impact, fire burning the bodies as they simultaneously turned into smoke as they were being dispelled by the ninjutsu.

Actually, the Naruto that made the Rasengan was a clone, but because the ANBU that threw the wired kunais wanted to include as much clone as he could in the jutsu, he had been unfortunately captured as well. As the fire that ran through the wire touched his skin, Naruto shouted in raw agony as the fire seared his skin he closed his eyes, trying to channel his chakra before he could be swallowed by the fire. At least he could do _kawarimi_ to escape. But he was still bested, after all…

The ANBU, sensing the sudden increase in Naruto's chakra, suddenly amplified the rate of fire that he had released, adding more heat and fire into his jutsu. Naruto, caught by the fire, continued to feel the heat burning his skin. He lost his concentration and his chakra control dissipated. The ANBU loosened his hold of the wires as he stopped using his jutsu against Naruto.

As soon as the jutsu and the smoke cleared, the body of Naruto fell in a kneeling position in the ground. The blond shinobi already had some tired looks pestering him; one of his eyes were half-closed, he was also breathing heavily to catch his breath and he was holding his body as it smoked from the burnt clothes he still wore. One of the ANBUs suddenly appeared on his side, kicking him on the head the sent him flying into a thick trunk of a tree. His head pounded in the hard wood, blooding seeping from the wound appeared on his forehead. As soon as he had slid from hitting the wood, someone grabbed his feet and threw him on the other side of the clearing. He landed on his stomach, his face and mouth catching much dirt as it could as he met the ground.

Before he could even look up to see who attacked him, a foot stomped Naruto's head, burying his face to the ground again. Suddenly, the remaining clones of Naruto shot up from the being buried in the ground, giving the ANBU a hard uppercut that hurled him into the air. As the clones maneuvered to give the ANBU a kick that would send him to the ground next, the cat-masked ANBU threw five shurikens in succession that successfully hit the clones that dispelled him.

In irritation, the very first ANBU that talked – the one with the deep and calm voice – jumped from the tree branch where he was standing and adjusted himself so that he would land precisely on top of Naruto. He then angled his knees pointing at Naruto's back, adding some chakra to add more damage to his attack. As his knees met up with Naruto's back, the ground wasn't to hold the attack, cracks beginning to form around Naruto's body and a crater forming below him. Naruto's eyes were wide in pain; he spitted out too much blood that would ordinarily come from deep wounds.

_Should I use _his _power…? _Naruto pondered, seeing his own blood mix with the dirt where he lied. He fisted his hands but it was stepped by another ANBU.

"Still trying to fight eh?" He was to make another stomp on Naruto's feet when the one with the cat-masked hold him off.

"Someone's coming!"

The acting leader of the ANBU nodded and the three of them disappeared in sight.

As soon as the leaves rustled that signaled the arrival of another groups of ninja, the group of ANBU mysteriously appeared again, looking at the new faces that came in the place. The ANBU stared at the shock faces of the ninjas. "What happened to him…?"

Naruto knew that there another group of ninja that had arrived. He tried to look at them and was surprised to see who they were. _Kashi-sensei… Ero-sennin… _He could only speak in his mind, his throat still in pain. He was like swallowing a handful of broken glasses. _Please… help me…_

"We don't know." The ANBU told them. "We were trying to fight some missing-nin some distance from here. We left Naruto here in belief that he could protect himself. When we returned – it was the same moment that you came – we found him as you did." As one of them explained, the cat-masked ANBU went nearer to Naruto. Kakashi, with his single eye, looked with worry to Naruto and to the cat-masked ANBU. The leader of the ANBU noticed this and said, "Don't worry, he can help him."

_Don't go near me… _Naruto talked in his mind.

Kakashi began to talk. "We were sent here to _help _you… with your _mission_."

Naruto's eye widened in realization.

He was expecting Kakashi to help him at the time he'd seen him in that condition. But he didn't do anything. _Sent… to help… with… _their _mission. _The thought kept on ringing in his mind. _Kashi-sensei… why?_ His eyes released some tears as his gaze locked on Jiraiya who was standing impassively beside Kakashi.

_Ero-sennin…?_ Naruto was asking in his mind. The old man with the long white hair continued to stand as if he wasn't seeing Naruto. He was jumping his gazes; to Kakashi, to the ANBU who was answering him, and back to Kakashi but not to Naruto. _Ero-sennin… _He could only think as the cat-masked ANBU neared to him.

"Kakashi-sensei! Jiraiya-sama!" A somehow high-pitched voice came into the scenery, a pink-haired kunoichi jumping from the branch and joining Kakashi and Jiraiya in the ground. "Kakashi-sensei, you seem you are rushing things. Why do we––" She stopped talking when she saw Naruto lying in the ground, his bloodied body being covered by dust from the dirty earth. Her body tensed; she could only stare at her teammate in shock. She didn't move to help him.

_Sakura-chan… _At the sight of Sakura just standing and looking at him in his time of need, Naruto finally gave up, his tears finally flooding his eyes. _…Naze?_ He thought and everything happened shortly.

The cat-masked ANBU was sent into the air red chakra covered Naruto's body. The energy that was being released of Naruto increased drastically, as he stood up. His cerulean eyes already changed into crimson with his pupils going into slit. The whisker marks in his cheeks darkened as he grew fangs from his normal teeth. His nails grew longer and sharper that it could claw out some superficial organs in the body.

"Don't touch me--!" Naruto said in a growl, sending a wave of red chakra to the ninjas in the place. The sheer force from the chakra alone weakened them; they felt the terrible power coming from Naruto. It was _fearsome_.

"Hokage-style Sixty-year-old Technique - Kakuan Entering Society with Bliss-bringing Hands!" From nowhere, a voice sounded. Suddenly, ten wooden pillars rose of from the ground and surrounded Naruto. The one who cast the jutsu, who was a masked ninja as well, came into view, raising his hand in shoulder level. In his palm was a seal readable from afar as 'Sit.' A string of chakra came from his palm and went straight for the pendant that Naruto was wearing. For thirty seconds, the ANBU was standing in front of the pillars with some pointed metals that were embedded in each one. After his knees quivered due to tiredness, Naruto passed out, the red chakra dissipating instantly. The pillars were re-summoned back into the ground, leaving an unconscious Naruto.

"The Hokage sent me to aid you as well." The voice went somehow muffled behind the mask. "I think I just came at the right time.

Kakashi and Jiraiya's faces remained calm, while Sakura's face was still in shock.

After some talking, the ninjas disappeared in sight.

Three ANBUs remained, after Jiraiya, Kakashi, Sakura, and another one with an ANBU mask left the place.

The one with the cat mask looked disdainfully at Naruto.

"Now that they have done their _part _here and will be doing another somewhere, I think it's the best time to finish you since we've been _permitted _and _helped_."

"Fire Release: Running Fire." One ANBU cast and jets of fire began to surround Naruto, putting him inside a circle of fire.

"Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain." The cat masked ANBU cast towards Naruto.

That was the time Naruto experienced some taste of hell on the living world.

**. . .**

Naruto finished his tale, which greatly surprised Sasuke. It was obvious that the raven was having a hard time to control his reaction. And for Naruto, it was almost a shock in reminiscing that terrible day; it had brought him horrid nightmares that always disturbed him in his sleep. Telling it to someone suddenly relieved him of the shock – and he was still curious as to why it helped cleared his feelings instantly. He watched Sasuke opened his mouth and then closed again. After some ten seconds, the raven started again.

"But that didn't explain how you became an Iwa-nin."

"You're my prisoner; I have the right to tell you what or what not to be told." Naruto answered, silencing Sasuke.

**. . .**

A frog appeared on the table were Tsunade was working her paper works. It was unusual to have a summon suddenly appear, but the presence of Jiraiya inside the office explained the toad. It brought with him a message.

Jiraiya quickly got the scrolled message and unsummoned the toad back to their dimension. It was easily read since it contained only one sentence.

Jiraiya was in shock when he faced Tsunade and said, "Orochimaru has been _killed_."

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

At least it's not a fully pledged cliff hanger.

What do _I think _will happen? XD I don't know yet...

**I WILL THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME REVIEWS. PLEASE...?**


	10. New Allies, New Enemies

**Author's Note/Message: **I'm sorry for the chapters being post these times. I'm being affected by some recent happenings. I hate SCHOOL.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 9 – New Allies****, New Enemies**

Team Obsidian slowly made their way back to the camp where they left Naruto and the missing-nin their senpai called 'Sasuke.' Making some cautious moves as they went tree-hopping, Team Obsidian made sure that they made their way back discretely and not to attract any attention. Even though it was the sole purpose of patrolling to know if there were people present around, Team Obsidian made it a habit to be careful when they were moving so as not to let their presence to be announced. Safety was Naruto's first decree to them when they started receiving missions that involved them out of the village, and they knew that the blond would kill them if they returned hurt. So much for their overprotective senpai…

As they neared the location, they could already see the blond ninja up and above, packing things around the camp. When they touched ground, Team Obsidian greeted Naruto. "Good morning, Naruto-senpai. Did you sleep well?"

"Of course, Sumi-chan, Nebi-kun, Moko-niichan." He smiled to each one of the team. "I have a peaceful night." Naruto then sent a gaze to the raven-haired ninja still under Nebi's jutsu. He was sitting and leaning on the tree, looking at them as if they were stones that he could break with just his glances. Team Obsidian returned the stern look at Sasuke, each of them giving off their best glares against him.

Since Nebi was the one who would act more adult in the team, he was the first one to break the glaring match and returned his attention to Naruto. He started speaking to the blond ninja. "Naruto-senpai, what are we going to do now?" The question quickly snatched the attentions of the other two members of Obsidian, which prompted them to listen to the answer of Naruto.

"Since we are three days away from the border of Fire, if we are not already to consider the presence of Oto and Konoha patrols, I want all of us to return more quickly than the time we spent going to Fire." Naruto began explaining. He needed not to reveal his map since he knew Team Obsidian had memorized their path from the time he first explained their way. "According to Takashi, the information he had this time is vital for Iwagakure, and I don't want to spoil it by returning at a slow rate. From this moment on, we change our travel times. We will now proceed at night, and taking some stops during the day. This we will do until we reach the border." Naruto paused for a while, thinking more for the patterns of travel that they would use. "But the problem lies in Kusagakure-Fire border." He revealed a certain scroll from his backpack. "According to some news that Takashi also was receiving, there has been a lot of activity between Kusa and Konoha. It seemed that Konoha patrols are reaching over the border of Kusa."

"Well, their alliance seems to be working on their mutual groundwork, isn't it?" Sumi asked.

"I doubt it." Naruto said. "I don't think Konoha would just give its help because it wants to help Kusa. If there will be anything that sways Konoha to move, then it's the presence of a problem that could possibly threaten the village."

"What could that be, senpai?" Moko asked.

"It's hard to believe it, but even Kusa and Fire are experiencing the problems that some rogue ninjas are giving. I think that Kusa can't handle the situation themselves, so it asked the help of Konoha to fend itself from the rogues. But since Konoha has deemed the situation somewhat of importance to its safety, it has obliged the call and sent some patrols to help Kusa." Naruto explained. Naruto pondered inside his mind. He remembered the last private briefing that he had with the Tsuchikage the day before they were sent. As some ideas came clouding his mind, the conclusion he had already formed in the beginning was starting to solidify. The evidences that were now present were proof enough to make a point to the Tsuchikage. And as soon as they reach Iwa, he would march into the kage's office and tell his mind to him.

"Naruto-senpai, what about _him_?" Sumi raised the question.

He almost laughed himself off when he totally forgot about Sasuke because of the sudden conversation brought up by Team Obsidian. He started walking near the ninja. When he reached a suitable spot for a dialogue, Naruto started talking again. "Sasuke."

Sasuke just looked up to Naruto dryly. His dark eyes always showed no mercy whenever it looked at something or someone. But to Naruto, his eyes were just orbs of pain that had left it empty. The threats that were supposed to be silently thrown by those unforgiving eyes were blank and meant nothing to Naruto. He knew the meaning of those eyes, and so he empathized with what the raven felt. He discarded the glare and proceeded talking. "You see, as the Iwa doctrine has it – or every ninja village is too – it's either we take you as prisoner for interrogation or we kill you as the last two options for ninjas defeated in battle by us." Naruto gave him a small grin. "I know you would don't want the second option."

"I can always choose to escape." Sasuke replied.

"Sasuke, if that option has always been available to you since the moment we've captured you, then you should have taken it from the first second it was available." Naruto smiled grimly. "But, as you've told me last night, you really can't escape the jutsu Nebi used. Don't try to bluff me when it's obvious." Naruto said, trying to stress the last part of his statement.

"Hn." Sasuke turned his head away from the group.

"We can just kill him, Naruto-senpai."

"No." Naruto gave a very sharp answer. "No one will hurt him until we've brought him together back at Iwa."

"What made you think he will come with us without protest?" Nebi asked.

"_Teme_," Naruto called the attention of the raven. "Choose between the two: you will walk with your own foot or I'll carry you with my clones in _fangirls_ henge?"

As soon as Naruto finished his question, Sasuke suddenly stood up from sitting on the ground.

**

* * *

**

Naruto observed Sasuke warily as the four of them jumped from tree to tree. Talking high leaps from branch with some earth clinging around your torso and abdomen area was a hard task to accomplish, since his hands were disabled for him to assume a more balanced stature. But since he was _Sasuke_, he knew that the raven could channel some chakra into his feet for him to 'stick' to the tree branch for him to fall. But that wasn't the thing that made him watch the raven. He was thinking of the possible reason why Sasuke suddenly came with them without too much protest – as Nebi expected. He was sure that Sasuke really didn't want to be carried by his clones – but that was too shallow for the enigmatic Uchiha to take as a reason. He could feel that there was something different.

And that he would know. What Uzumaki Naruto wanted to know, he would know.

He jumped closer to Sasuke, which made the raven look at him with slight irritation. "What do you want?"

"I'm just curious, Sasuke." Naruto replied. "I'm sure the petty clone-in-fangril-henge wasn't the reason why you joined us." He said. "And I'm sure that no ninja would just go with his captor without something in replacement or something being planned hidden." He gave the Uchiha a dubious glance. "What is it that you aim? Do you want something in return, or are you planning something?"

"I really am bothered with the way you speak to me." Sasuke answered, without looking to his listener. Who would not be troubled when someone you know who was a loudmouth, accepting, and an _idiot _talked to you in an intelligent manner? He heard him and that team – Obsidian, if he remembered it right – talking about returning to Iwagakure. Just from the information and analysis that he made, Sasuke was impressed and doubtful at the same time. The change was drastic, but that made him suspicion if the one with him was indeed Naruto. After all, he hadn't told him anything about becoming an Iwa-nin, and that was one part of the whole picture that made him apprehensive of Naruto.

"Things change." Naruto answered.

"No one will believe it's you."

"As if I'll let them know it's me." Naruto stressed. "You should know that Tsunade had just announced my _death _few days ago."

Sasuke was just able to give him a dry stare. It seemed that he had missed too many things already. What he couldn't understand was the incongruity between what Naruto told him last night and what he just said that day. If Naruto's story last night was true, then the announcement of his death should have happened from that point of time – three years ago. But it had been three years from that event, and Naruto said that Tsunade finally announced his death. Why would she do that _just _now? "Hn."

Naruto, sensing that Sasuke's famous 'Hn' meant more than a shrug, thought that he needed to explain some things to the raven. "Unfortunately, Tsunade was so depressed about it and knew that she needed to hide it from amongst the people of Konoha. So for three years, the only reason they could come up to cover my death was that I trained under Jiraiya. That was also the thing that made them easier to announce my death. Who would question a death under the training of the always-travelling-into-the-dangerous-lands sannin?"

Sasuke just took in the explanation without question. That was enough for a reason for the sudden change in attitude and personality. But still, Sasuke was more curious about Naruto's becoming of an Iwa-nin. He wanted to know what made Naruto join the village. What made Naruto change?

"Hey, Teme, you still didn't tell me why you didn't refuse to us." Naruto broke his thoughts.

Sasuke just glared at Naruto. He hated that derogatory term. He didn't reply.

"What of Orochimaru? Will he find you?" Naruto continued to barrage Sasuke with questions. "About that, why didn't I see any Oto-nin with you? Do you really like to brood alone? Don't worry, we brought the sword. So, why didn't you use the sword to fight us? I know you can defeat Team Obsidian but why not use it?"

"I've killed Orochimaru."

Naruto seemed to have his mouth plastered by a ton of clay. He just couldn't speak after hearing what Sasuke told him. Naruto just smiled after some pondering. He finally had a conclusion in mind, after hearing that single sentence. "I knew you wouldn't let yourself be a pawn for that snake-freak."

Sasuke was stunned. "I am expecting you'll ask me how I defeated him."

"Nah." Naruto said, smiling. "That will spoil our spars, Teme. If you tell me what you're capable of, then I'll find out a way to defeat you. I don't want to ruin the three years that we haven't met – let's see who's stronger now!" Naruto shouted the last part of his statement, which caught the attention of Team Obsidian. What was happening to their senpai?

"Urusai, dobe." Sasuke silenced the blond.

"We'll see about that… after you meet the Tsuchikage." Naruto told him, and evil grin plastered in his face.

**

* * *

**

It took them five days to reach the border of Earth from their mission.

As soon as they reached Iwagakure, Sasuke was amused to see the people greeting Naruto as their group sped towards where the Tsuchikage was staying. It seemed that everybody knew Naruto, and Naruto was greeting them back with the same energy the villagers were giving him. If his memory still served him right, it was one thing Naruto wanted to have when they were younger – recognition from people. Right now, he was having it from the people of Iwa. He would make a mental note of that, as one of the possible reasons for staying in Iwa.

Some multitudes of steps and walks later, they'd reached the office of the Tsuchikage. The cold walls of the room could bring chills to the people coming there, and since the kage wanted to retain the cold atmosphere of the room, he'd ask the builders of the place to dimly illuminate the room. The place was more like of a cave, since the stone walls and the lighting had made a terrible combination that made it look like one.

"Tsuchikage-sama, we're back." Naruto suddenly announced, which brought the head of the kage into looking at them. He dropped his writing material and waved the group to go nearer into his table.

When they were nearer to him, the Tsuchikage finally noticed the tall man with pale skin and black hair. He was restrained using an earth technique. "Who is he?" Ōnoki asked.

"Ōnoki-jijii, the man comes after the debriefing, alright?" Naruto told his leader.

Sasuke also noted the Naruto was still disrespectful of his superiors.

Team Obsidian and Naruto reported to Ōnoki about Takashi and handed him over the scrolls that served as additional information for Iwa. They've also told him about the current status of Naruto to Konoha, which didn't surprise the Tsuchikage – much to Obsidian's relief and curiousity. After that, Ōnoki dismissed Team Obsidian, which left Naruto, Sasuke and the Tsuchikage in the room. The latter nodded his head to Naruto, signalling him to spill some information about the man.

"This is Uchiha Sasuke, a ninja that came from Konoha, now a missing-nin. We came across him when we were near the Oto-Konoha border. Team Obsidian and I fought him and was restrained after being defeated. I brought him in the hopes that he could help Iwa in our mission." Naruto said.

"A missing-nin…?" Ōnoki said. "Naruto, what made you think he will help Iwa and I'll accept him in this village?"

"Ōnoki-sama," Naruto's voice was hurt, especially the accepting part. "He was my teammate back in Konoha."

"He's on the Bingo Book, I should say. We have all rights to kill him. I don't want more rouges or missing-nins pestering our place already." The Tsuchikage answered.

"Ōnoki-sama, I'll make sure he won't do anything stupid." Naruto said. "If he does, then I'll go _assassin_."

The Tsuchikage smiled. He looked straightly at Sasuke, which attracted the attention of the raven. "Alright. Since you are a missing-nin of Konoha, and we don't have any good relations with that village, I can reinstate you as a ninja of Iwa, if you like it. But of course, it will bring some questions like it did to Naruto's part. But I'm sure I can do something about it, since it will just be Konoha which will make a fuss out of it." He continued. "Do you approve to be an Iwa-ninja?"

Sasuke looked at Naruto, and then back at the Tsuchikage. "Fine. I don't think I can escape the clutches of Naruto anymore."

The Tsuchikage smiled grimly. "Then I will give you another mission, Naruto."

Naruto straightened at the word 'mission'.

"We've finally made out something from the pieces of information being brought back by our ninjas from missions that involved the rouges scattered around the borders of Earth Country." He said, standing up from his seat. He walked slowly and went to the next available window. "And the last thing you've given us, Naruto, was the final puzzle piece." The Tsuchikage revealed the said material. He threw it on his table.

"So…" Naruto said in a long breath. "It's _Takigakure_?" Naruto spoke, looking at the forehead protector with the symbol of Taki drawn in it.

"Yes." Ōnoki said. "It seemed that they are bolstering their forces." The Tsuchikage explained.

"But what's the relation of the rogues to the military actions of Taki?"

"The rogues are either distractions or as part of reinforcement. But I'll take both options as true." Ōnoki said. "If you've noticed it, the rogues actually bordered Takigakure." He said, pointing at the map hanging on the wall. "If some of your mission reports are true, then Kusagakure and even Fire are experiencing the rogues. They serve as distraction since it will take out the eyes of some ninja village to _some _military amassment.

"Takigakure had remained too silent over these past years." Naruto said. "I could get the idea that they've been quiet since they are making their forces stronger."

"And that is what I'm afraid of, Naruto."

"What are the plan and the mission then?"

"Make war with Takigakure."

**

* * *

**

"Kakashi, I'm sorry if I need to bring you out for another mission." It was the greeting that Tsunade made for that morning, which didn't mean anything to the Hatake's part. Kakashi didn't care if he was going to have another busy day, week, or months. That time, he needed them frequently. He was _grieving_ too hard and he wanted to distract his mind away from the matter. He still couldn't accept that Naruto was finally gone, and he was accusing himself for being so irresponsible to have let his student die. One more death and he knew that he would finally lost his sanity – _hell_, he didn't even know if was sane when Naruto died. He was one important person, and he let him die. Naruto's death made him think that _someone _was disappointed of him.

"No grudge taken, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi answered.

"The mission I will give you is an A-rank, since we'll do it in coordination with Kusa." Tsunade handed him a scroll. "Finally, after some days of attrition conflict, the rouge ninjas that were giving Kusa a problem had made a stand against the village. The attacking rogues now did it in a systematic manner and are currently pinning Kusa. It seems that every rogue that have inhabited the borders of Earth country, Kusagakure, Amegakure, and Takigakure have concentrated themselves in the Taki-Kusa border." Tsunade explained, pointing a spot north of Kusagakure. "Your mission is to help fend off the attacking rogues until orders for you to stop are given. Reinforcement will come in a slow manner, since we don't want the rogues knowing that Konoha is also sending its force to help Kusa."

"With what team I'll be with?" Kakashi answered.

"You are free to choose the members of the team you want." Tsunade answered.

"Is that all?" Kakashi replied.

"Yes." But before Kakashi turn to left, she was able to speak. "I hope you choose the people who aren't still grieving for Naruto; you don't want some people breaking into emotions while in a mission."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi vanished in a cloud of smoke.

Tsunade continued on working with her paperworks.

**

* * *

**

The First Patrol Team stood just in front of the village gate, waiting for the Hokage to finally give them the final order for them to start their mission.

Neji was observing Kakashi, since he had noticed that there was something different with the jounin. From what Sakura had told him in the past, Kakashi had a bad habit of going late. He often went an hour to three hours late, according to the significance of the mission. But his presence there – he was even already there when Neji arrived! – was some discrepancy with the knowledge he knew. The single visible eye of Kakashi was enough for the Hyūga to discern what the jounin was feeling. Kakashi was hurting inside.

Of course, the announcement of Naruto's death was something that shocked Neji. He saw his death as a major loss, and Neji was a little sad that one of the people he started to respect that changed his view in life had died. He knew that Naruto was a nexus of ideas and new hopes, and his loss was one great blow against konoha. But Neji quickly accepted the truth of life that ninjas could also die in battle. Naruto was a great loss, but it was part of ninja life.

"Kakashi-sensei, you haven't told us any brief about the mission we're going to have." A deep voice said, which made Neji look at the source. The hooded figure with a jacket reaching his knees was staring – behind those dark sunglasses – to the jounin. Shino.

"I'm sorry, Shino, but I think we'll have to wait for the Hokage." Kakashi politely answered. It was one of the sign that there was something wrong with non-Uchiha Sharingan user. Whenever he and Gai met, he would always show a disrespectful side. Or maybe he was just aware of the Aburame's formality...?

The Aburame remained silent.

"Tenzo," Kakashi called the other member of the team. "I know you are also one of the ninjas sent some days ago as patrols for the rogues. Where have you been assigned?"

"I was sent near the Fire-Oto border, Kakashi-senpai." The ninja answered.

"Are there any irregularities there?"

"Not much." Tenzo answered. "But we saw a group Kusa-ninjas travelling there. We didn't even bother to ask them, since we couldn't just intrude in their ways. As long as they remain normal, then we don't have to do something against them. But according to one of my members, their _papers _are authentic."

"You scan through them?"

"No, but his _eyes _can."

"Ah." Kakashi's reply came short. He silently thought about the presence of Kusa-nins walking in that part of Konoha. What could they be doing there if they knew that rouges were becoming a problem to their village? There was something amidst there, and he wanted to know about it.

Tsunade arrived.

**

* * *

**

"_Kakumo_-ojisan, we're going for another mission." Naruto said to the person sitting in one of the chairs in that small apartment. Naruto made sure he had a habit of going to his ojisan whenever he had a mission that needed the latter's attention. Well, the Tsuchikage's plan was crazy enough that he needed the help of his Kakumo-ojisan.

Kakumo looked at Naruto and smiled. "What is it now that the Tsuchikage wants?"

"He wants to make war with Takigakure, ojisan."

Kakumo suddenly laughed that he had almost fell in his chair. "That old man, he really can't understand the meaning of peace…"

"It can be justified, I think."

"What made you think so?"

"Takigakure is the source of the most recent problems being experienced by almost three ninja villages including us." Naruto began to explain. "If we are to end their hostility, then we can live for another time without pests such as them."

"You know, wars are just waste of time."

"That always comes from your mouth."

"It's true."

"So, don't you want to ask why I went here?"

"Spill."

"Ojisan, we think that Kusa will be going ask for Konoha's help in this one. Can you please help us in evading a certain ninja?" Naruto said.

"Who?"

"Hatake Kakashi."

Kakumo suddenly smiled again. Upon hearing the name, his blood suddenly went active, as if his energy began to pour and he needed to release it. "It has been years since we last met, and I want to test his capabilities now." Kakumo told Naruto. "Alright, you can expect my arrival. I know you hate to be seen by that man."

"Naruto, where are––" Sasuke suddenly entered the place, unaware that there was another person inside. When he saw the person, his mouth could only stutter as his blood boiled into some unhealthy heights.

"HA!" Kakumo exclaimed. "This is getting fun!"

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

I'm a writer who wants everything be vague.

Naruto's death is a fuss I _don't _want to clarify in a direct manner. Sorry if it brings confusion.

It's Christmas break next week-!


	11. Waterfalls: Initiating War

**Author's Note & message: **Good day, everybody. This is a late update. I know, but the time I am wishing for this break went all to **enjoying**!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 10 – Waterfalls: Initiating War**

"Tsunade-sama briefed us that we are going to meet some Kusa ninja near their northern borders." Kakashi was retelling the brief of their mission, while he and his carefully selected group jumped from tree branch to tree branch. The jounin was releasing some aura of seriousness that made Neji and Shino cringed, but since both two were composed ninja, they didn't let their two seniors notice them. Yamato looked as if he had seen Kakashi at that attitude, proven that his gestures were still relaxed in the situation – yet wary of the surroundings.

"But she didn't tell us why we're supposed to meet them _there_." Neji suddenly talked, and only Yamato looked back at him for recognition.

"You're implying something, Neji-kun." Yamato answered.

"I just think that the placement of the meeting point is not just product of mismatch and _randomness_. It serves as a convenience for Kusa." Neji said. "I think that Kusa is now presently being attacked by its enemy."

"A good proposition, Neji." Shino spoke. "But I just don't think that the perpetrators will foolishly attack Kusa, unless invoked by the latter. It's suicide to attack a ninja village." He told them. _Unless there is something big behind it._

"We cannot predict what we'll see there." Kakashi joined the conversation. "But it's not bad to be mentally prepared for the coming situation." His body was noticeable to have lessened its stiffness. "If the information we've been collecting are correct, then we can assume that almost all rogues that have been staying at the borders of the countries and ninja villages northwest of Fire country have amassed into a single power." Kakashi still continued to talk even though his eyes were distanced. "The goals of this _unified _rogue group hasn't been known, but what's sure is that we're going to meet them a lot more prepared than they were in the past." He sighed. "I say we quickly meet with Kusa-nins; I couldn't bring myself to fight some rogues who have finally decided to cluster for _survival_."

Kakashi and his own group had been travelling for three days now, and, with their present location, they were already expecting some Kusa-nin to stand in their way. And being sent into the northern borders were most of the rogue ninjas were concentrated wasn't a simple matter to be reconciled with – the whole group, even Kakashi, was wishing that they meet up with their allies to stop the aggression once and for all.

Unfortunately, no one from the group was _dumb_.

It was becoming a frustration for them not to meet any ninjas from Kusagakure. It was a greater fuss to Kakashi, since their allies were forgetting one of the most important codes of being a ninja – punctuality. Not that he was proclaiming himself as a hypocrite, he couldn't just stand by the fact that those people who needed their help were the ones neglecting to value the provision of assistance to them. Besides, he was never late for missions that required him to be _serious_, right?

Kakashi turned his gaze to Neji. Neji, sensing that their captain was trying to tell him something, nodded and activated his Byakugan. The veins around his eyes bulged, as chakra began channeling into his eyes. His pupils becoming more distinct, Neji began to scan through their area, taking advantage of the 360⁰ view to easily look around. Having his extended range of vision extend at almost 800 meters, Neji could almost sense everything within that radius. After some seconds, Neji looked back at Kakashi. "I can see something, but it's farther than what I can see. We need to move forward."

Kakashi just started to make some hand gestures, the first set telling the rest that they would be moving without a noise – implied by the usage of silence. The group started to jump from the trees, moving farther to the west from their spot. Neji continued to use his Byakugan, to guard them from possible incoming threat. The Hyuuga suddenly stopped in his steps, motioning to his group that he had seen some presence following them. He first directed himself to Kakashi. _Four ninjas from north. Possible rogue._

Kakashi nodded and turned his attention to Tenzo. _Take care of newcomers_. _We proceed._ The hand signals brought the proper message to Tenzo, showed by the latter's seeming understanding of the order given to him. Before he could make another gesture to order the rest of the group, Neji had motioned their captain to wait. _Another four from east._ The Hyuuga pointed to himself and to the Aburame near him. _We take them._ Kakashi agreed. But when the two was to make another move to head out to their target, Neji suddenly shot his gaze towards the location they were supposed to be headed to. _Kakashi, another group coming. West._

Kakashi nodded. _I will._ With a final wave from Kakashi, the group suddenly dissipated and vanished from each other's eyes, as all of them went into the direction where they would meet their opponents.

**

* * *

**

_This brings a lot of memories_, Kakashi was thinking with himself, as he travelled on a section of the area where there were mostly bamboos instead of tall and thick trees covering the forest. The tall green bamboo grasses were proving to be a great distraction for the silver-haired jounin, since it brought him some memories of the past the somehow hurt him. The scenery relieved him of the recollection of his very first mission as captain, and one of the greatest losses in his life.

It was also in Kusagakure that Kakashi had obtained his Sharingan.

As a new jounin, his team was sent into Kusagakure to stop the impending invasion of Iwagakure into Fire Country borders. This they could achieve by destroying Kannabi Bridge, the infrastructure that was vital to Iwa-nins, since it was one main line of supply for the attacking force. In their mission, Kakashi's teammate, Rin, was captured by some patrolling Iwa-nin. In his own desperation to finish the mission, he deemed that Rin's safety was secondary only to their main goal. Of course, someone was an elite _crybaby _that would not let Rin be hurt because of his belief and childhood predicament.

Uchiha Obito was so _foolish_ to believe that he could rescue Rin just by himself.

"Who do we have here?" A voice suddenly interrupted Kakashi's thought, as he realized too late that he had let himself be devoured by his memories, which lost his concentration in his way to meeting the group Neji informed him. He suddenly went into a fighting stance, getting a kunai in his pouch as quick as he could.

"I think he's the one that we're looking for, Iwao." Another voice talked, which quickly took the attention of Kakashi.

"Of course, he is." The first voice sounded impatient. "I'm really grateful that Tsuchikage-sama gave us this mission to intercept the infamous Hatake Kakashi."

_Tsuchikage?_ Kakashi asked in his mind. _That does mean… their Iwa-nins?_ He readied himself for an attack, as his mind processed the information regarding the presence of some Iwagakure ninja in Kusagakure territory. Even though he could easily focus his attention to the worry being expressed by Kusagakure, Kakashi was still bothered by some words from some ANBU in Konoha that they'd been seeing a lot of those Iwa-nin sent for various missions, which were almost unhealthy for ninjas of common capacity. If the attendance of the Iwa-ninjas in Kusagakure had some relations in why Iwagakure seemed to empty itself to send its ninja for some missions, then Kakashi could add another secondary de-briefing material that could alert Konoha from some looming problems.

"Well, let's make this quick, Iwao. You know that Tsuchikage-sama sent us _covertly _for the reason that we make this hastily." The other one replied, tossing some shuriken blades to Kakashi's direction.

Kakashi easily evaded by jumping off the way of the ruthless metal pieces, while he himself launch a barrage of kunais to where the one who was named 'Iwao' was standing. His target made no actions of moving, instead an earth wall caught the weapon that he threw.

"Mamoru, we can't defeat Kakashi by simple means." Iwao said, removing the earth wall that he used to protect himself. "I think the tactic that the Tsuchikage told us will be effective. You do it; I'll attack him." The one he called 'Mamoru' nodded, as the man kneeled on the ground while he formed some hand seals that were too fast to be seen by the naked eye.

Being deeply bothered by the Iwa-nins suddenly attacking him, Kakashi seemed to have no choice but to reveal his Sharingan. He felt the need to finish the fight in a quick manner and he needed all the time he could to ask _some questions _to the enemy as soon as he was done with them. There was a lot of question that needed answering – and those questions, for Kakashi, involved the safety of more people than _necessary_. He raised the forehead protector that was placed over his left eye, revealing the scar that was formed some seventeen years ago. Opening it had quickly started draining some chakra to supply it to the eye. Three tomoes began spinning slowly as the owner of the eye scanned through the enemy.

"Earth Release: Earth's Year Assault!" Without any warning, Mamoru began to cast his ninjutsu, which prompted Kakashi to make another preparation to defend himself. Seeing the opportunity that Mamoru left himself in an open field, the jounin knew that he could defeat the enemies if he could take out the ninjutsu user first. But before he could make five strides toward Mamoru, Iwao appeared behind Kakashi, a kunai in hand. He tried to stab Kakashi, only for the latter to duck and parry the petty attack. Supporting himself with his hands, Kakashi crouched lower to the ground and used his feet to kick Iwao away. Iwao was able to dodge, but instead of countering the jounin, he held the attacking foot, making a tight hold of it.

Kakashi struggled, only for him to realize that he was caught in a trap. There was a surge of chakra from Mamoru's direction, and he felt that a ninjutsu was being worked against him. The earth began to rumble as some sections of rock surfaced from the ground. It formed two gigantic sections that already told Kakashi what it could do.

The two rocks met, crushing everything caught in the middle. Iwao jumped from the path of danger before he himself be caught from the titanic and deathly rocks. Casting a brief glance towards Mamoru, the Iwa-nin took another kunai from his pouch.

Kakashi appeared in one thick group of bamboo, breathing a little heavily from his quick kawarimi. He never took into consideration that type of strategy. A ninja was to become a ninjutsu caster to take his chance to destroy the opponent, while another was to become a distraction and bait to help the former. It was suicide for the part of the melee ninja, since he could also be hit by the jutsu being cast by his ally. The silver-haired ninja took into consideration these things, making sure to himself that he would take the ninjutsu caster first, even though the other one was diverting him. He could not estimate how much damage that ninja could do, not only to him but also to his fellow.

Before he could turn back to the battleground, a presence suddenly appeared beside him. Kakashi did a quick jump, throwing some kunai to whoever appeared near him. The enemy – Iwao – easily evaded the attack. Taking the chance to hurt Kakashi, Iwao decided that he too must seek the need to use ninjutsu in fight ing Kakashi. "Earth Release: Rock Pillars Rising!" Rock pillars appeared from the ground where Kakashi was hovering from his jump. Kakashi, without any standpoint to make any ground to make another evasive maneuver to jump away, was hit by the spike, which only made Iwao frown.

Kakashi, after being hit, disappeared in a cloud of smoke, while Iwao was feeling the sharp of kunai being placed in his neck. "Hatake Kakashi, you are good as many tell."

"Ready to meet death itself." Kakashi answered. He was to swing his kunai against Iwao's throat when he felt another burst of chakra came from Mamoru, who was still kneeling on the ground some distance from them.

_An attack from behind! _Kakashi yelled in his voice, as he jumped away from whatever was going to hit him from behind. Leaving Iwao on the spot, Kakashi tried to see that was going to hit him. _A Rock staff! _The jounin looked at Iwao, who was still unresponsive from the loss of the grip. _He is going to be hit! _The rock staff continued its approach, even though its intended target was already away from its danger. Some more seconds later, Iwao was skewed in his abdomen by the pointed rock that was meant to protrude a body.

The earth rumbled again – it went simultaneously with the chakra flare that came from Mamoru – and a wall of earth suddenly came to cover Kakashi in a cavern-like prison. Knowing that the earth corridor would form slowly to initially do its function, Kakashi started to leap and try to escape from the jutsu. Before the earth closed the topmost portion as the final cover, Kakashi appeared from the waning hole and saw the outside again – but that happened only a second before he was kicked hard by an enemy. Iwao made sure that his feet dealt a lot of pain to Kakashi.

He was quickly losing some balance, but was able to thought quick. Kakashi put some right amount of chakra into his feet. He tried to land to a thick bamboo, sticking himself into the bamboo pole. After he had made contact to the plant, he heard some whizzes that were going to his direction. _Bamboo spears! _Kakashi looked in slight horror as he first observed the flight of sharpened bamboo poles being hurled towards his direction. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!" He shot off some fire from his mouth, burning the wood into ashes, rendering them useless for an assault.

Pillars of rock came from the ground, which started to form in a circular manner to surround Kakashi. The jounin bit his lips – he was getting irritated by what was happening to him. Deciding that the enemy ninjas were taking much of his time, he knew he needed to be serious in fighting them.

Lightning startled to crackle in his hands.

**

* * *

**

Yamato, Neji, and Shino met at the point where all of them left to engage their enemies. It just took them some minutes, since the enemies that they took care of were of chuunin-level rogues that were just too unfortunate to have been sent on patrol. Yamato didn't require himself to use his Wood techniques, as Shino wasn't able to move a muscle when Neji quickly disposed of their enemies as soon as the Hyuuga saw the sight of the rogues.

Upon their arrival, the absence of Kakashi brought some vigilance to the part of the group. They were expecting that Kakashi was the first one to return, given that he was the top-caliber ninja in their mission. His still nonappearance there told them that he had been held off by the enemies – they could not conclude that Kakashi went into the rendezvous point by himself since they know he was a staunch advocate of teamwork. Being the second-in-command, Yamato felt the growing aggravation from Neji and Shino, whose looks in the faces (a little bit hard to discern in Shino's part) told him that they must find Kakashi as soon as possible.

Yamato agreed to follow where Kakashi had gone, thinking of the possible words his senpai would tell him once they meet. Sometimes, he couldn't understand why the silver-haired jounin would always try to focus on having teamwork, and all of a sudden trying to sacrifice himself when they were put in a tough situation. If he had just the esteem to rub it into Kakashi's face, then he could have done it years ago. But he deeply respected his senpai, to the point that he was letting this confusing point go out of the big picture. Kakashi was a lot for an irony. To tell that teamwork would be worthless if the members were not trying to at least help each other was as worthless as telling to say that sacrifices had to be made when the worst came into a particular mission.

Well, that was Kakashi for you. And Yamato didn't become an ANBU to be easily apprehended either. He was going to help Kakashi.

**

* * *

**

Yamato, Neji, and Shino reached the location where Kakashi was standing in front of two ninjas who were tied in the middle of the clearing. The silver-haired ninja didn't seem to take notice of their arrival, since he was just continuously staring at the ninjas he defeated lately. The three newcomers observed him silently for a while, before Yamato decided that Kakashi wouldn't appear to talk to them.

"Kakashi-senpai," he called out the name of his senior. "Who are these ninjas?"

"They are Iwa-ninjas." Kakashi answered quickly, putting his arms in front of his chest. "They are here for some reasons I am yet to uncover."

The other three noticeably tensed when they knew the identity of the enemy ninjas. There were some bothering implications that attached to Iwagakure's _minor _presence in the territories belonging to Kusa, and it was detrimental to the already callused situation. Obviously, everyone from the group was demanding explanations, although in a very discreet manner. Neji gazed at the enemies, although it was hardly discernible to whom he was looking at. Shino's glasses only flashed by the sunlight, the heavily tinted thing obscuring his eyes, the words being thrown silently by his gazes were blocked to most of the ninjas there to comprehend.

"Reinforcements." Iwao sounded pissed. "I should have expected better from Konoha."

"Why don't you just tell me the reason why you're here?" Kakashi said, his only visible eye already flashing some warnings of misery and death.

"My, my… Kakashi's already annoyed, Mamoru." Iwao replied, grinning sarcastically, even though they were already gravely disadvantaged.

"I don't think he's upset for the reason that we aren't telling him the reason for our presence here, Iwao." Mamoru answered. "He's irritated that his precious Sharingan wasn't able to copy the technique we used against him lately."

It brought Kakashi into a sudden trance of impatience. In one second, a kunai was already aiming to slash Mamoru's neck. With just a slid of his wrist, Kakashi could kill the man without too much effort. They were proving to be pests, and Kakashi was already having a hard time to contain his decorum. But since he still needed to perform an on-site interrogation about Iwagakure's ninjas' presence there, Kakashi decided to wait for them to talk.

"What is he talking about, Kakashi-senpai?" Yamato asked.

"A new technique," Kakashi answered. "An earth release technique. They called it 'Earth's Year Assault'." He shifted his position, putting the kunai he held on a better angle in aiming it to Mamoru's neck. "I really didn't have the chance to make anything out of it."

"Because you are weak and pathetic." Iwao took his chance to speak.

"Shut your mouth up or better save your words for explanations." Kakashi glared at the man.

"Just kill us; you will not be getting any information from us." Mamoru said, his eyes not showing any signs of fear, even though a very sharp kunai was already making a small cut to his skin. "It's better to die in the order of mission than to go a failure."

As Iwagakure ninjas supposed to be – hell-bent in finishing an order, be in living or leave it incomplete because of _death_.

"Kakashi-senpai, why don't we just bring them to Kusagakure? We can use the help of their Assassination and Interrogation Squads to root out the parameters of their presence here, even though it's their mission or not. We can make a better work if everyone is––" Yamato wasn't able to finish his proposition when kunais embedded into Iwao and Mamorus head. The surprise intended by the attack didn't come into Kakashi and his team's side – they quickly moved into an attacking stance to prepare for another assault. Neji reactivated his Byakugan to scan the surrounding, in identification of the killer.

"Behind the thick group of bamboss, nine o'clock." Neji calmly said. Kakashi and the rest of the team looked at the particular spot where the said enemy was located. They quickly saw the enemy, when he removed himself from hiding and since the latter was doing something _different_ from the usual.

The enemy appeared to be… _waving_ to them.

"Odd." It was one of the few words that Shino was speaking for their particular mission.

"Wood Release: Binding Nest!" Yamato cast his ninjutsu to quickly capture the opponent. A tree was suddenly summoned from the spot where the man was standing. Recognizing that the wood that was trying to swallow him whole was indeed _dangerous_, the enemy ninja started to jump away from the tree, evading the stems and the trunk that would like him to be helplessly captured.

"That was good!" A voice came from behind them, which triggered the whole group, except Kakashi, to turn back and see the person. To their surprise, it was the enemy Yamato was trying to capture with his jutsu. One double-take and they saw that the tree was now chasing nothing. Kakashi slowly moved his head to meet the visage of the enemy. The enemy halted moving and looked at how Kakashi stared at him. After three seconds, he almost choked in surprise when he felt a kunai already in a piercing point in his neck.

"Nice, Kakashi." The man commented. He suddenly whined. "Ahh-! This is awful! Why do I always lose my wariness when some stares at me?" From the sound of his voice, the ninja seemed not be in distress while being captured by Kakashi.

"Because you are wearing a mask. You obviously don't want someone staring at you because you care about _not exposing _your identity." Kakashi answered grimly, slowly moving the kunai nearer to his neck. "I suppose that you're from Iwa too."

"What made you think so? You knew I killed those two."

"That's exactly the reason why I must suspect you." Kakashi replied, tightening his grip of the man. "Your involvement is highly suspicious."

"_Damn_! I knew I should have not used that reasoning!" The ninja almost yelled. Kakashi was finding their enemy unorthodox and unnerving; his noisiness was somewhat pain in the ear already.

"It's already logical that someone sent you to clear up the trash made by those ninjas, or, eventually, _clear _those two so that no one can suspect Iwa's involvement here." Kakashi told his enemy. "Am I wrong?"

The enemy suddenly stopped struggling much and let Kakashi's grip took a much firm hold. Kakashi could feel the smirk forming in the ANBU-like mask, which half was covered in color orange, instead of the traditional paintjob done in the porcelain mask. "Ah, as expected in Konoha's renowned Copy Ninja, Hatake Kakashi." His head turned towards Yamato's direction. "Although I must make further notice of the other one with you. I thought that the Wood Element was only unique through Konoha's Shodaime Hokage."

Kakashi quirked an eyebrow when their enemy told one fact that came from the roots of Konoha, although it was also a known-fact to much of the people because Hashirama Senju made a name for himself when he was Hokage. But it was quite amusing to meet an enemy who knew something of that. Being able to know that part of history was illogical to be shared to the ninjas of Iwagakure… unless they got information regarding some Konoha ninja using the wood element as well. It was an _unhealthy _thing to know.

There was a lot of thing to be known, especially Iwa's sudden involvement.

"Your connection to these two have been proven, and, ultimately, to Iwagakure itself." Kakashi announced. "Better start explaining yourself before we do this the _hard _way."

"Sorry, but it seems you are mistaken." The ninja disappeared in Kakashi hold, suddenly appearing behind Kakashi with his kunai already in strike. Kakashi whirled back to see the enemy, while he put his hand in front of him in form of a seal. "Release!" His word went accompanied by the simultaneous disruption of chakra by him and the other ninjas of his group. The scenery suddenly shifted into the same image, but something different. The enemy was now standing in front of the group, no kunai in hand.

"Ah, so you saw through my genjutsu."

"Genjutsu can be used to gather information." Kakashi replied. "I must consider what you did, though; you were trying to counter-espionage the information gathering we are trying to do to you."

"This sucks!" The enemy replied. He jumped away from the group, going evasive as his intention to escape was already obvious.

"You are not going––" Kakashi was to speak when a loud yell was heard through the poles of bamboo in the place. "Kakashi, we'll meet again! Just call me 'Kakumo' and it'll do!" He vanished, and a confirmation from Neji came.

"Odd." It was the second time Shino used the term. "Even my bugs were removed from his body when he disappeared. He must have known that the insects were already stuck in his clothing."

"What shall we do now, Kakashi-senpai?"

"We go to our mission, but remind me to tell Hokage-sama that ninjas from Iwa are becoming _extremely _difficult to confront––" Yamato was to throw another question when Kakashi pursued, "––even by _my standards_." He waved his group off. "Let's go."

**

* * *

**

Appearing at the seeming battlefield, Kakashi and his team were too much surprised to move their bodies. What they were seeing never came to their thoughts, even though it was a possible thing to happen. Staring at the field, Kakashi and his team gasped at the bodies of at least thirty bodies of dead ninjas, killed in any manner possible with the intention of clearing _survivors _and to show the gore as much as it could be. And the dead bodies didn't just belong to ordinary rogues they were supposed to be fighting.

They were Takigakure ninjas.

"This is madness!" One ninja from one the still living groups that looked like not to have engaged their enemies spoke. "This is direct incitement to inter-village conflict!"

Kakashi threw his gaze to the other side of the battlefield, two groups of Takigakure ninjas standing in the middle of the dead bodies, blood tainting their clothes and their skins. They looked devilishly at the group of Takigakure ninjas. "We don't care." One of the ninja from the Kusa group answered. "You clearly violated our territory, and it is our right to take care of you."

_But it is not that way,_ Kakashi spoke in his mind. _If not in war, patrolling ninjas are expected to engage ninjas of non-allied villages but _not _to kill them. Interrogation and imprisoning are the worst that can be done, but never to dispose to them_. Hatake Kakashi continued to listen to the dialogue, but already made up his mind that he would intervene if more _unfortunate _things were to happen.

"But this is unforgivable!" The reply came shortly. "You decimated thirty lives just to see that you protect your borders! This will not go unnoticed by Takigakure!"

_Oh no… This is bad_, Yamato thought, looking at the direction of Kakashi. "Kakashi-senpai."

"I know." Kakashi answered. "This is already a provocation of war." He quickly went into the direction of the Kusagakure group, with the intention of stopping further problems being caused by Kusa ninjas. Even though how much he wanted to protect the authority of Kusa in protection of its own territory, Kakashi could not justify slaying lives to uphold the safety of the borders. In fact, he could blatantly accuse of Kusa of being so impudent in taking actions with some still non-hostile forces.

Damn. If they were to be asked if Takigakure had the right to declare skirmishes to Kusagakure, Kakashi couldn't take no to side with Taki for an explanation. Kusagakure was purely and absolutely wrong – no doubt with that.

"Stop this already." Kakashi told the Kusa ninjas as soon as he reached their location. "This is not going to be good if this continues."

"But they violated our lands!" One ninja from the group answered.

"And so they will, after what you just did." Kakashi replied. "You just took thirty men from Takigakure!" He sighed. "The rogues are your problem; the presence of Takigakure here could have just been solved through peaceful means."

"But their sheer number entering our lands is suspicious."

"From the information that we have, the rogues have been bothering ninja villages and countries that borders Takigakure and Kusagakure. Maybe they are experiencing the same problem and trying to extinguish the rogues." Kakashi tried to defend the act of Taki with his reason.

"Are you our ally or not?" One ninja asked. "It's like you're trying to point out that we are _wrong _here!"

_You are _wrong, Kakashi thought. "What I mean is that we can just talk through this by peaceful means. We can––" Kakashi stopped speaking when he felt that the Taki ninjas were already escaping and heading north, probably going back to their village to report of what happened. The silver-haired jounin knew that the group didn't aim to talk on the field about it, and they were desperately headed back to make a fuss of it in their village.

"This is going to be bad." Kakashi sighed. But before he could talk back to Kusagakure ninjas in front of them, the group suddenly jumped away to random directions, splitting into two groups as they were.

_I think Kusa has a great issue in knowing who the allies are and what is proper to do the enemies._ Kakashi muttered in his thoughts.

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

Another chapter done. I wish I could do more, but my friends are trying to bug me about some other story for me to make.


	12. Waterfalls: Progenitors of Conflict

**Author's Note: **I like slow movements in the plot. This is because I hate spoilers too much.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 11 – Waterfalls: Progenitors of Conflict**

"Ne, Nebi-kun, can I ask you something for a while?" Sumi started to spoke, catching the attention of his older teammate in seconds. The duo had been resting atop of the trees in the forest located at the border of Earth Country, while Moko was having his patrol rounds, and they were already bored as hell. Nebi was a little thankful that Sumi already decided to break the silence.

"What is it, Sumi-chan?" Nebi replied, casting the younger one with curious gaze. Sumi actually smiled when Nebi gave her that probing look, because, for her, the young man looked like a child whenever he did that. Keeping the reason of her sudden smirk that made Nebi more interested, Sumi continued to her question, returning the type of gaze Nebi presented her.

"I know you've mastered the technique Tsuchikage-sama has been constantly reminding us to learn." Sumi brought up the topic, which made Nebi sigh in comfort. He thought that Sumi was going to ask another out-of-the-ninja-world topic that only Naruto-senpai was interested on. He knew he could not deal with that type of conversation with Sumi. "I'm just bothered why Tsuchikage-sama always takes the time to remind us to use its full capability in the battlefield. You know what has it done to most of the ninja groups in Iwa, right?"

Nebi nodded. "When the Tsuchikage ordered that, at least one from every team of Iwa ninjas is constantly converted into a ninjutsu user." He answered, remembering how fortunate they were that their group was consisted of two jutsu users – he and Sumi. If that wasn't the case, he and his team would surely curse the Tsuchikage for sending them into a battery exercises to drastically improve their ninjutsu. "Maybe it was one tactic that the Tsuchikage wants us to learn, lest it is indeed a very powerful and effective jutsu." He looked again at Sumi. "What about it?"

Sumi suddenly fidgeted, bowing her head as she continued to dangle her hanging feet while they sat at the tree branch. "Well," she blushed, trying to hide the redness of her cheeks. "Our group has been proud since we pride ourselves in being able to understand the meaning of every jutsu taught to us. But…" She stopped, intensifying her unusual squirming. "To tell you the truth, I am having the hardest time to understand the real theory behind the newest jutsu we know."

Nebi processed what she said, nodding at the words that the young woman was saying. He understood why Sumi was having a hard time to discern about it – when they were taught about it, no one was actually there when it was delved into most of the ninjas. In short, it had become a 'see-it-and-know-the-meaning-behind-this' jutsu. It was a cruel type of teaching, but it was sure a lot of effective to most who had solved how to perform the jutsu. And those who knew it were asked not to tell it to those who haven't – a very unkind way to teach, but the advantages of having to know it by self outweighed even the greatest of reasons to teach it in an academic manner. "I understand," he just said. "Not everyone really knows how to do it."

"But it's kinda irritating for me not to be able to perform it," Sumi said, expressing her vexation about the matter. "It makes me feel helpless."

"Don't say that, Sumi-chan." Nebi quickly intervened. He sighed – he knew he needed to explain this after all. "Actually, the Tsuchikage wasn't expecting everyone to learn the technique he intended us to learn."

"Huh?" Sumi sounded diminutive. "What made you think that?"

"When did the Tsuchikage taught us the jutsu?" Nebi asked Sumi.

"Almost more than a year ago," Sumi answered.

"Look, if the Tsuchikage is determined for everyone in Iwa to learn that jutsu, then he should have performed a test for everyone of us to check our performances regarding that jutsu. You know, only almost 60% of Iwa ninjas were able to do it and the Tsuchikage didn't express any dissatisfaction with that small number." Nebi gave Sumi a small smirk. "Actually, according to my _gut _feelings, the Tsuchikage is more than pleased about it."

"You're confusing me more than the clarification I want to know from you, Nebi-kun." Sumi replied.

"According to Naruto-senpai, the actual estimate of ninjas to learn such jutsu was less than 25%." Nebi said, grinning as he said the remark of his senpai, even before the said jutsu was taught.

Sumi pouted. "How did Naruto-senpai come to our talk?"

"Hmm, I suppose Naruto-senpai isn't really a talkative man." Nebi muttered which only made Sumi almost met her eyebrows. From the looks of her eyes, she was _demanding _for an explanation. He waved off the scary gaze from the woman. "Well, it was shared to me by Naruto-senpai. Believe it or not, he was actually the person behind the _spread _of the jutsu."

"Really?!" Sumi almost yelled – and a back flip on the branch would perfect her astonishment.

"Yes. He said he bugged the Tsuchikage about it." Nebi looked at the forest clearing, looking at his memories to retell it to Sumi. "It was really in the Tsuchikage's mind. Naruto-senpai said that Ōnoki-sama was trying to invent a jutsu that will make Earth Techniques more effective by making it less predictable and faster-acting."

"Well, I suppose he has the thoughts to really do that. Those two are the flaws of earth techniques." Sumi said, remembering the lessonds about chakra nature they had in their academy days. "When Earth Techniques are used, obviously, it involved the usage of the earth itself. Since most ninjas will be aware of that, a _mass _of moving earth is predictable, since it's almost impossible not to miss seeing a moving pile of the ground. And also because earth is a whole large mass, the effect of an earth jutsu is seemingly affected by the size of earth being manipulated; thus, making its effect run in a slower pace. The weight of the earth is directly proportional to the speed of it being able to used." Sumi explained.

"That is correct." Nebi replied to what Sumi expounded. "That is the reason why Ōnoki-sama planned to invent new jutsus to remove those flaws." He frowned. "But, making a new jutsu to counter those flaws means that every older generation earth jutsu is rendered _less _effective by almost all means. And there hasn't been a lot of ninja in Iwagakure who have the knowledge of the Tsuchikage to make their own jutsu as well." He returned his gaze back to Sumi. "So if it's only the Tsuchikage – or even some handful of people to volunteer – to create some new jutsus, then it will take a lot of time before newer ones are made. It's also the reason why the Tsuchikage abandoned it, until Naruto-senpai _modified _it into the jutsu it is today."

"Care to explain me now about it?" Sumi spoke.

"The truth is that the jutsu, which now has a popular name 'Earth Style: Earth's Year Assault', is never _a jutsu_." Nebi said, expecting the loud outburst from Sumi.

"What are you talking about?!" Sumi, as expected, shouted in reply.

"It has never been a jutsu, since _it _is actually just a collection of earth jutsus cast simultaneously at a single time." Nebi said. "In fact, the modification applied by Naruto-senpai made the earth jutsu usage faster and less predictable." He started using his hands to explain things to Sumi. "The modification – or the jutsu – makes an earth caster use less hand seals to perform those jutsus; thus, making the process faster. It also makes the user focus on chakra molding to, requiring lesser degrees of chakra control in using simultaneous jutsus." He sighed when the look on Sumi's face was telling him that she wasn't getting anything. "It's all about chakra chanelling and manipulation. With the earth chakra user focused only in casting jutsu without the worry of being attacked, he could drastically increase manipulation and control without too much effort; thus, limiting the wasteful time and energy and performing jutsus. This makes earth jutsus be cast at a faster rate, less the hand seals and such." He frowned a bit. "Well, that only happens if the enemy is taken away from the ninjutsu user, which is a very hard task to attain."

"But why is it unpredictable?"

"Ah, that's the good part about it, and also the reason why the Tsuchikage didn't bother to teach the jutsu in a direct manner." Nebi smiled. "You see, there is also some Naruto-senpai related matter in it. From what I tried to discover, Naruto-senpai tried to modify the _jutsu_ so that no other ninja can _copy _it, even with the use of some famous doujutsu. This is because the jutsu becomes a _personalized _copy of the modification, since different ninjas in Iwa prefer to use earth techniques in different variation. This factor, variation, makes the technique vaguer to the eyes of the enemies, rendering it erratic for them to counter." He told Sumi.

"Wow, I didn't know I was mocked by the pseudo-jutsu."

"That is the purpose of it, Sumi; to mock the enemies into believing that they are being defeated by some _ultimate _jutsu." Nebi said. "But it doesn't actually have a _name_. Earth's Year Assault is just a famous name for it, but not, officially."

**

* * *

**

Kakumo still wore his porcelain mask as he stood in front of the Tsuchikage, who was waiting him in the southern borders of Iwagakure. Actually, removing the mask was out of his options, since he didn't want to let the Tsuchikage look directly into his face, because he knew he would be reporting some _negative _news any leaders would sure not like. He tried to peek into the face of the old man, trying to interpret the type of face he was having at the moment.

"Tsuchikage-sama, I've returned," he greeted, scratching the back of his head.

"And all I thought you are going to return _late_." The Tsuchikage answered, looking up to see the mask that Kakumo wore. "So, what's with being early?"

Kakumo tensed; he was having some thoughts of whether he should tell what happened or not. He sighed, defeated. He knew that whatever he's going to tell him, the Tsuchikage would know what happened. He would sure know… "Ah, Ōnoki-sama, just as you predicted, the men you sent to intercept Hatake Kakashi were defeated."

"And I'm sure you did something to stop him."

"Well, that is the thing I want to tell you, Ōnoki-sama…" _Just keep it cool_, he thought, trying to bow down (and also have the chance to see the face of the shorter man). "I wasn't able to take him down."

Stinging eyes were suddenly sent into Kakumo's direction. His eyes almost shouted punishment, as if his gazes were enough to rip off Kakumo's throat out. If the power of his deathly glares could be turned into a jutsu, half of Iwagakure could have been burned. "I'm s-sorry, Tsuchikage-sama. _D-demo_, m-more n-ninjas came to a-assist him." _Why am I stuttering?!_ He asked himself, even though there weren't a chance to answer to his own.

The Tsuchikage calmed down a little. "As expected of Konoha…" He muttered softly, although enough for Kakumo to hear. "Do they know?"

"Tsuchikage-sama, that is what I fear – they seem to know."

"What do you mean?" Ōnoki quirked an eyebrow towards Kakumo.

"When I arrived there, I already saw that Kakashi had already defeated the two ninjas that you sent. Sensing that they may eventually bring the two to proper authorities, I dispatched them as you ordered. After finding me, I was just surprised to know that Kakashi had discerned that the two were from Iwa, eventually leading his conclusion that I was an assailant to cover the tracks of the two." He explained to his superior. "I don't know, but maybe the two had spilled something even before their fight started."

"I see." The Tsuchikage replied. He returned his frightening gaze to Kakumo. "But I expect that you _held _him even for a short time."

"Of course, Ōnoki-sama. That was the plan if killing Kakashi isn't possible for the situation." Kakumo answered proudly.

"Alright." The Tsuchikage said. "Your mission is not done yet." He said while pulling a scroll from a small bag that he carried. "This is the mission objectives for the next mission I'll be handling to you. Basically, it is postulated that Hatake Kakashi will be involved in the parameters given in that scroll. As Naruto had wanted it, I will assign you to missions where that Copy Cat ninja is involved." He turned his back away from Kakumo, when a group of ninjas arrived at their location. "Now, go; Team Obsidian is waiting for you on the eastern borders."

Kakumo made a final bow to the Tsuchikage before vanishing in sight. Ōnoki eyed the spot where the man once stood. _Make sure you are not going there _late.

**

* * *

**

Naruto, in his first part of his missions, was having a good time in performing one of the greatest acts in his life. His mission was dangerous but he had proven himself likeness of risky assignments. That time, he was just waiting for the arrival of some more ninjas, after he disposed of some bodies that were recently just patrolling and waiting for someone in that particular place. Well, they were unfortunate, and Naruto paved respect to them by remembering that they were in the brink of war. There was got to be lots of lives being wasted during wars.

He stood idly in the forest that bordered the portion where most of the bamboos grow. It brought him mild curiosity, since he saw that trees and bamboos were growing at different places, and they seemed to have a distinct line of border separating them. Well, if it was an act of nature, then he couldn't just argue and find the meaning of this phenomenon – there was a lot of time _not _to be wasted.

He decided to perform some Shadow Clones to replace the number of ninjas that he just took out. Before he performed the jutsu, he made sure that he had remembered some faces of the Kusagakure ninjas that he just dispatched, so that there would be some effect of truth when he had to play his part. After some five clones appeared beside him, Naruto ordered each one to perform a _henge _to copy the image of the six Kusagakure ninjas he defeated some minutes ago. The original Naruto decided to copy the image of the leader of the group, so that he could direct things without question – and still to add for the desired effect. He then told them to position themselves into hidden spots in the clearing, making them look like waiting, as he'd seen the original Kusa-nins lately. He also tried to make them look like patrolling as well.

"Hey, boss!" One of his clone started speaking. "I'm bored! Are you sure that they will even come?"

"I do." Naruto calmly answered. "So just wait."

"Aw, come on, boss!" Another one entered the conversation. "Let's do something entertaining!"

"No." The real Naruto replied, a vein popping in his head. Seriously, why did his clones possess some different personality than he had? He was naturally calm and patient whenever he was in a mission and try to summon them, but when time would pass, the clones would start to annoy him, saying that were feeling bored and would like some action done. He couldn't understand, but a theory was coming into his mind. What if he had already problem in the chakra he used in casting Kage Bunshin? It was possibly the reason for having clones with personality defect.

But with slight recollection, he could really identify the type of attitude his clones acquired. He could very well discern, because, in the past, it had been one of his personalities – loud, boisterous, annoying, hype, and _idiotic_. It was one of the personalities that he had when he was younger, using some variations for appropriate situations. That had proven effective for him, since it didn't involve to much physical strain to pass over some kerfuffle whenever he encountered one in the past. With the proper usage of attitudes, Naruto was able to dwell into his horrible past by merely trying to wear some mask that would remove the levied look of some people to him. It was painful thing to do, but it was hell effective.

And it was the past that wasn't going to happen again. After being away to the village that he originally came from, Naruto had started to mold a newer and _truer _personality that would speak of him without falsity. He made a personality that would tell him who he really was, and he was contented that there was no one to make vile comments of his chosen life… or rather the life that was fated to him when he was born. He was free now, and the freedom he had paved a lot of roads for him to take.

"You're no fun." His clones whined.

"Fun is when we're back at Iwagakure, putting the life of the Tsuchikage to misery." He replied. "Just wait. Once we return to Iwa, we'll put the meaning of 'fun' into another degree." He assured the clones, who cheered upon the knowledge that retribution was being prepared for Ōnoki.

"Now be silent," Naruto told the troupe of clones. "I can sense them now."

**- - -**

Sasuke felt humiliated – and the one he was presently feeling was already the greatest disgrace done to his whole life. He was already cursing the Tsuchikage for sending him to a very _lame _mission. He was an _Uchiha_, for Kami's sake! If he was to be sent to a mission, then better should he receive those hardliners. He was so shamed that Ōnoki gave him his first mission that involved child's play.

Goodness, where is honor from letting a group of _fifty _ninjas to _just_ follow him?!

He should have listened to Naruto before he was sent to any mission: the Tsuchikage had a very bad side of turning one ninja's life into hell by simple mission-giving. And Ōnoki was a master for already ruining the life of ninjas because of those stupid missions, Sasuke included. He would find a better time to strike back at the Tsuchikage – he wasn't an avenger for simply accepting the change that happened in his life.

Of course it wasn't just because of Naruto that Sasuke accepted being an Iwa-ninja. He had a lot of motive in his mind, and being in Iwa could serve one of his few but grand purposes. For now, he knew he needed to act small in front of Naruto and the Tsuchikage. He couldn't risk the blond to doubt him again, since he already had the idea of what he could do. And even though old, the Tsuchikage was some mystery he was yet to uncover. He was in a tough situation, and he had to ride it first.

From all the things he learned from Orochimaru, he had also learned to _wait_. For now, his avenging needed waiting. It was needed to be put aside first, since he was boxed in by a situation he couldn't easily escape. Of course, his hatred and rage would fuel his will to go along at times, for he was an Uchiha – the last of them – that would ultimately cast down the justice of all the souls that was killed in that cursed night. For now, things would go different, and in a way most in Iwa would expect… then comes the motives.

There was still a lot to be considered, after all.

Sasuke quickly evaded the rain of kunais that were thrown to his direction. _Kuso_, he cursed. He needed to focus first in his mission. Even though how humiliating the mission was – he was not engage them –, Sasuke could consider the number somehow enough to cause the most minimal of damage. Damn, fifty kunais being thrown at the same time wasn't a good sight to see, especially if that number carried more than twenty in their arsenal – the ones in sealing scrolls not yet included.

Because the Tsuchikage had viewed Takigakure a threat, he decided that he would make war with the village. Sasuke was sent to a mission that involved him to pull quite a number of patrolling Takigakure ninjas so that he would be followed into a certain location south. He then started assaulting them without the intention of hurting them, since it was the additional 'challenge' Ōnoki added in his mission parameters. Fifty Takigakure ninjas were a lot number to evade without using weapons to defend himself.

Seeing that he was already nearing his destination, Sasuke finally felt relieved that the first part of his mission was soon coming into an end.

He moved faster so that he could meet Naruto in the field already.

**- - -**

The plan was to bring some Takigakure ninjas into Kusagakure territory, and wait for the ninjas coming from Konohagakure as the final ingredient for the recipe Iwagakure was preparing to cast the final smite to serve their goal.

And when Sasuke had finally brought the fifty people from Takigakure, Naruto decided that it was time to engage the people that tried to violate the territory of another ninja village.

With the help from Sasuke, it wasn't that hard to decimate the number of Takigakure ninjas before the reinforcement from Konoha arrive.

Hell threatened to open when the fight began.

**. . .**

Everything was done according to plan, Naruto was glad about it. But what he couldn't believe was that the arrival of the reinforcement from Konoha surprised him a lot.

His Kakumo-ojisan told him he would handle Kakashi! But there he was, the grey (or silver) hair standing out amongst the field, like a broom trying to sweep the place. The worst part was that he brought with him some of Konoha's promising ninjas – in the identity of Neji Hyuuga and Shino Aburame. He would be going through a lot of trouble, especially with those two.

If Neji would activate his Byakugan, then he would now that the Kusa-nins they were actually seeing was the same person, since the chakra circulating system the Hyuuga's eyes would detect would significantly be of the _same _structure. He couldn't let that happen. He also feared that if Neji had a very vivid memory, he could detect it was him because he'd seen his chakra system before – he could compare that with his scanning. Even though it was his own theory that chakra system structure didn't change a lot, Naruto still considered the possibility of detection through it.

Shino was also a problem. Even though he had some less information concerning Kikai bugs, Naruto had a great speculation that those bugs had a lot of capabilities in them. First, he knew that bugs had a very great ability to adapt to the environment, since they could detect the environment itself. That wasn't in favor since Naruto could reason that it could identify that the five with him were clones. He hadn't done something about the obscured characteristics when he let his clones perform a henge; he didn't take the time to do something about it, like the smell of each one. So, basically, even though the smell of blood was the same in the six of them, the original smell that was _distributed _to the clones were the same. He hoped that those insects were not that observant as he thought of them to be.

"From the information that we have, the rogues have been bothering ninja villages and countries that borders Takigakure and Kusagakure. Maybe they are experiencing the same problem and trying to extinguish the rogues." Kakashi replied again from one of the sentence he threw to them. The silver-haired jounin was very irritating indeed.

"Are you our ally or not?" One of his clones asked. "It's like you're trying to point out that we are _wrong _here!" Naruto made the question, in hopes that it could remind Kakashi that they should be helping Kusagakure, not helping Takigakure made some reasons for entering the Kusagakure territory.

_Kami help me in escaping the eyes of this people_, Naruto thought, as he made some ideas on how to extricate. He was finally contented that they had done their part.

The mission was success. As Konoha ninjas arriving as _witnesses _to what purposely Kusa-nins did, the plan to make Takigakure declare war with Kusagakure would happen ultimately. Because they let some Taki ninjas to live to tell the tale to their superiors, Naruto and Sasuke were sure that Takigakure would not let the event escape their reach. It was the perfect opportunity for Taki; Kusagakure were also having an increased military activity because of the rogues, but Takigakure could take it as a sign of aggression. And the death of the thirty Taki ninjas in the hands of _Kusa ninjas _were the final act that put Kusagakure's increasing ninja movement as a provocation to war – this was justification enough for Takigakure to initiate war.

And that was the thing the Tsuchikage wanted to happen.

The presence of Konoha ninja in the field would be the final piece to make the announcement of war true. Even though how much they defend Kusa, their own ninja had seen the events with their very own eyes – they would not be able to sway Taki into _not _making war with Kusagakure. And it would be tough luck for them; it could be hard task to choose between a village that would proclaim war because they felt threatened by the heightened ninja activity of their adversary and the deaths they took and a village whose actions had been _rightfully _wrong who deemed it necessary just to protect their lands.

He had no time to waste.

"What I mean is that we can just talk through this by peaceful means. We can––"

Kakashi was still talking when he decided that he needed to get out of there already. He made his clones, including himself, split into two groups of three, going into some random directions. But after he took the jump, he knew that what he just did would be the key for the Konoha ninjas to think that there was something amiss.

As he jumped, he talked the two clones that jumped with him. "Go to the bodies of the ninjas whose image you copied. Make sure you aren't detected and make sure you'd be detected for at least an hour." Naruto raised his finger and pointed at the farther clone. "You." He called. "You dispel first to send the message to the other clones." The clone nodded.

He too went to the body of the ninja he copied, putting his chakra output into the lowest level possible to evade detection.

After some five minutes of hiding, Naruto felt that his own message had been disseminated into his mind, and, for sure, to the clones as well.

He hoped his ally would know this.

**- - -**

After almost thirty minutes for searching for the group of Kusa ninjas that suddenly went away from them, Kakashi and his group were looking in shock at the person standing in front of them. All of them couldn't believe their eyes in the visage that stared at them with sharp and black eyes, orbs that were obviously filled with rage and anger – although composed and collected.

"Sasuke…" Kakashi could only mutter. "What are you doing here?"

"If you are to stand in my way, then you will follow the deaths of those ninjas who did the same lately." He told them, pure words of fear seething from his mouth.

"Are they Kusa?" Yamato asked the question.

"Hn." Kakashi shrugged. "Perhaps." He glared at them. "So… will you let me go ahead or you'll dare to stand in my way?"

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

My neck aches!

_Damn_, I've put too much spoilers here [hope that no one is reading this].

Thank you for reading!

Advanced New Year!


	13. Waterfalls: Invasion

**Author's Note: **I only planned for this FanFiction story to last only for **20 chapters**, but I guess it'll go longer than planned... I'm excited for the next story I am going to write!

**Message: **Is this part the same as 'Author's Note'? I just want to type, since this chapter has become one of my favorites already!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto - I swear!

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 12 – Waterfalls: Invasion**

"Sasuke." Kakashi called out the name of his student, out of the subconscious being taken over by his emotions. Seeing your former student whom you'd lost for almost three years wasn't just simple scenery to see. Sasuke was a branded missing-nin, and it wasn't always that a jounin teacher got to have a student who became a missing-nin. The silver-haired jounin stared blankly at the pale teen, whose white long-sleeved shirt moved accordingly to the slow movement of the wind. The Konoha jounin could not repress the memory that he had together with his old student, as the memories of his own time when he was genin matched up with the present. It was too painful to see a student that had turned away from you, with the knowledge that it was because of hatred, anger, and vengeance. Kakashi had changed when he had a team – why couldn't his students see that?! Even though he had the chance to be a better ninja after he experienced another loss in the form of a dying teammate, Kakashi changed more when he finally had his own genin team. Having some people to work with as a team that was full of aspirations and goals was a different experience to Kakashi. It wasn't every day that he was willing to train some ninja – he was there to guide ninjas for them to be great and in the future.

It was like a burden he was willing to carry, for as long as it was for the sake of his own students. It was a burden difficult to carry, having all those times that he became preoccupied with the paper works and handling the random tantrums that his students would often show. It was a burden that took toll of him when he needed not only to protect himself, but the safety of his students as well. It was a burden that taxed him to new levels that he didn't experience when he was in ANBU. It was a whole new experience that he perceived as a burden.

But it wasn't a burden when he finally knew the fruits, right? That whole new experience – having a genin team of his own – taught him a lot that he would never seem to get from missions as ANBU. Being a jounin teacher was something that totally changed his perception of being a leader to a squad. It was true that he had began caring for his team after his taxing experience when he was a teen, but having a genin team soared that concerned attitude of his to new heights. The interactions of his own genin team had told him what his sensei probably felt when he too was genin. In his time as part of his sensei's team, he might have not understood the meaning of how his sensei looked when he and his teammate had banters. But, now, he _gravely _knew whenever his team did that, and he would ask the forgiveness of his sensei for being that _childish _in the past.

"Kakashi," the cold and icy voice of Sasuke emanated through the clearing. "Don't dare to get into my way." He started to move his right hand into his side, trying to reach out something. He almost hissed in annoyance when he realized that Team Obisidian and Naruto were still keeping his sword. His fingers twitched in displeasure. He slowly crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"What are you doing without that snake sannin?" Kakashi suddenly asked, a random question popping in his mind amidst the confusion that was happening in his mind.

"Tch." Sasuke eyed the silver haired jounin dangerously. _They didn't know yet? _He asked in his mind, expecting the death of a certain snake freak was something that Konoha would know in a sudden. He scanned the faces of the people together with them, trying to sort out something from the situation he was caught on. His eyes hovered at a stoic-looking brown-haired ninja standing beside Kakashi. He didn't know the ninja when he was still back in Konoha. He finally ended his gaze, breaking it as he returned his eyes toward Kakashi. "So news still come as slow back to Konoha. I'm not surprised." Sasuke said nonchalantly.

"What do you mean?" Kakashi said, his eyes looking at him warily.

"Orochimaru's dead." Sasuke answered, irritated that he was the one needed to tell those bunch of agitators. He continued to observe the faces of the Konoha ninjas. But in the deep parts of his mind, he was already thinking of possible ways for him to escape. One prominent thought was that there was high certainty that he wasn't going to return for another _stupid _mission by the Tsuchikage without a fight. He just waited for more words that would come out from Kakashi – the spokesperson of the group.

Kakashi was shocked. _Orochimaru's dead? _He told to himself, glancing at Tenzo if the ANBU had received such information already. With a disapproving shake from his head, Tenzo had meant that no news reached Konoha yet. He returned glancing at Sasuke, his single visible eye widened in surprise. _What is happening to this damned world?! _He asked himself, as too many questions and secrets had been revealing slowly but menacingly confusing. _How come Orochimaru's dead…? _He gave another look at Sasuke. His eyes went into another trance of shock. _Could it be possible…?_ "You finished him?" He asked Sasuke, the eyes of his groups suddenly thrown to him, and then to the raven-haired branded missing ninja.

"He has no further use to me, so I needed to end his life already." Sasuke answered unemotionally, as if Orochimaru was just a book that could be thrown whenever read until done. His monotone voice spoke as if Orochimaru was just a tool for him to use, and a tool he could waste when he couldn't find use to it. "Besides, I hate the way he uses the innocent lives just to do his bidding."

Should Kakashi be proud?

Here Sasuke was, his old student claiming to have defeated Orochimaru for not liking the ways of how the Snake Sannin tried to find more jutsus for his immortality. And Orochimaru was a sannin – a ninja that had been esteemed of having some kage-level capabilities in fighting. If Sasuke had defeated Orochimaru, should he be proud that one of Konoha's greatest threats had been dissipated for good? Or should totally consider Sasuke _hostile_, since he had become an enemy of Konoha, being much of a _greater _threat after overpowering a sannin?

"Get out of the way now, Kakashi. I have a goal to still pursue." Sasuke said.

"I'll let you go away this time." Kakashi replied, much to the surprise of Sasuke who quickly hid his astonishment. Similar reactions came from the faces of the team – except Yamato – since they knew that there was still an ongoing _sub_-mission about Sasuke's retrieval. Neji was to protest when he was cut off by Kakashi. "But you need to learn something first."

Sasuke just glared at Kakashi.

"Naruto's _dead_, Sasuke."

The words seemingly just passed through his head, as no emotions formed in his face. He remained impassive, looking distastefully at his old jounin teacher for being in his way. As he had expected, Kakashi was waiting a response from him.

"I don't care about the loud idiot, Kakashi." Sasuke briefly smirk, albeit a very small smirk that no one could easily notice. "If he's dead, then it's better for me." He continued to speak. "Another pest less for me to deal."

Kakashi suddenly disappeared from his spot, suddenly appearing beside Sasuke. The latter was still enjoying the amusement he found from the silver-haired jounin – he knew what buttons to push. The Copy Cat ninja was already aiming to punch his face, when he caught his fist and shot him a wave of deathly glare. Knowing that attacking through the urge of his anger would not help, Kakashi pulled his hand away from Sasuke, revealing his Sharingan.

"He was your teammate, Sasuke!" Kakashi yelled.

"_Was_."

"Don't you care?!"

"I don't, Kakashi." Without any warning, Sasuke suddenly vanished in their sight, leaving Kakashi in a feeling that he had never experienced before.

What had happened to his team? He never felt so _broken _after his own team had parted.

**. . .**

Sasuke appeared some distance from Kakashi and his team, making sure he was out of range from Neji's Byakugan sight. He inhaled some air before started walking west, hoping that he could find an Iwa ninja to ask where the hell the Tsuchikage was.

"That was harsh, Sasuke." Someone spoke from amongst the trees, triggering Sasuke to look at the source of the voice.

"Hn." Sasuke just shrugged before proceeding to walk again.

The figure jumped from the tree and landed beside Sasuke. "So, do you think they bought your act?"

"I don't." Sasuke answered.

"What?!" The ninja exclaimed. "You should have made sure that they would not have any dubious thoughts about your presence there!"

"Shut up, Naruto, before I sew shut that big mouth of yours." Sasuke replied. "It's entirely your fault."

"I know." Naruto responded, which surprised Sasuke. The Uchiha was expecting that the blond would at least try to defend himself again, even though it was the lowliest of reasons. He anticipated that Naruto would not blame himself from the wrongness that he had caused. But now… the blond had indeed changed a lot. Naruto continued to speak. "I just didn't expect that they'll bring Neji and Shino along with Kakashi, and that _wood freak _with them." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Those two ninjas – I swear – could determine my identity if they'd used their clan skills."

"But even from a _dobe _like you, I didn't expect that you'd come up with a plan like such." Sasuke said.

"I'm not a dobe, Teme." Naruto growled. "But I do want to appreciate the help you've given me. I'm lucky that you've guessed what I planned."

**- - -**

Kakashi and his team successfully found the Kusagakure ninjas that they were confronting some minutes, but, to their dismay, all of them were dead. Sadly, Sasuke had indeed slain the ninjas, and it was then they knew that they were at disadvantage – they would never find out the motive of why the _foolish _Kusagujre ninjas dared to kill that _number _of Takigakure ninjas. Everyone should have known that to have dissipated a lot of enemy ninjas meant grave misunderstandings between ninja villages. Sure, border disputes were one of the most common problems being experienced by ninja villages, but it usually _never _involved taking too much lives to prove the point of being violated in terms of territorial matters.

Hell, if he was Taki ninja, Kakashi might have obliterated those stupid Kusa nins for being so direct.

"What are we going to do now, Kakashi-senpai?" Yamato suddenly asked.

"We'll report this immediately to the Kusagakure authority." Kakashi answered.

Yamato nodded, directing the other two ninja – Neji and Shino – to move on.

"Leave the body in a safe confine, Tenzo." Kakashi ordered. Tenzo hastily obeyed when he performed his wood technique, creating six coffins from the woods that sprouted from the grounds. They gently placed the bodies of the dead Kusa ninjas, while Tenzo moved the coffins into a safe place.

They started to hop on the trees, towards south to enter the Kusagakure village itself. Shino and Neji observed Kakashi from a distance, somehow worried with the face and gestures being manifested by the jounin. Even with the calm and lazy face being worn by the Hatake, Neji and Shino knew that he was hurting in the inside. They knew that fact that Team 7 was the very first genin team passed by Kakashi, and they knew that he had formed a somehow _complex _and close relationships with his team. They understood that the jounin felt such; even they would feel devastated if you knew your students didn't show some attention about the death of his teammate.

Speaking of the teammate, Shino remembered forming some doubts when he saw the presence of the raven-haired ninja in the outskirts of Kusagakure.

"Kakashi-taichou," Shino called the attention of the silver-haired jounin in a more esteemed manner and title. "I've been thinking. The Uchiha's presence here, if properly thought of, was highly unlikely, considering the _indirect _hostile relationship of Kusa and Oto." The sunglasses of Shino flashed from the reflection of light, his eyes although unseen were directed towards Kakashi.

"Are you saying that Sasuke is trying to hide _something_?" Neji asked, his white eyes looking at Shino.

"Most probably." Shino answered. "His attendance is most… doubtful." The Aburame said softly, although he managed to put a derisive tone at his last word. "I believe, somehow, he's _involved._"

"No, Shino, I have no suspicion of finding Sasuke here." Kakashi answered. "I know what you are thinking." Kakashi looked at the Aburame. "Oto is indeed _far _off from here, but I cannot presume that Sasuke will be involved in this one – how can we even connect Sasuke from the event that happened lately?" He cast an asking glance towards Shino, the latter not intending to answer the last question. "Besides, I know that one of Orochimaru's hideout is actually located in the outskirts of Kusagakure. Latest intel had said that some of Oto's ninja were discretely travelling from their Takigakure hideout towards Kusagakure." He then faced forwards, slightly focusing his mind into reaching the village proper once. "And according to Jiraiya-sama's reports, Orochimaru's hideout rotation – when he was still alive – was beginning to increase in frequency. What was not understandable was that he was moving into more dangerous territories."

"The higher the danger the place possess, the lesser we think that our enemy will go into there." Yamato answered, keeping himself into a renewed movement pace initiated by Kakashi himself. "The higher the gamble, the greater chance of winning."

"In gambling, the chance of winning is directly proportional to the chance of losing." Kakashi replied. "But we know – _knew _– Orochimaru; he would do everything just to make his plans possible."

**

* * *

**

Kusagakure wasn't a strong ninja village in comparison to Konoha. It was a decent village for ninjas, with population not exceeding almost half of Konoha. Its size was also less than half of its ally village located in Fire Country in the east. It was bordered by the country, where Takigakure sat, in the northeast, Earth Country in the northwest, and the country that contained Amegakure in the south.

Kusagakure also had an amazing proportion in population, since half of the village was civilians – it went that half of the council that led the village were civilians. Politics then became no problem to Kusagakure, since everyone aimed peace. Nobody dared to dream of a time that Kusagakure would be considered as powerful as the Five Great Shinobi Villages, because they knew that the reward of fame was aggression from some other force. No, they would not forsake the peace that their village was currently experiencing, since they had enough of violence in their life.

Well, Kusagakure was a hell of a battlefield in times of war.

In the Third Great Ninja War, Kusagakure had only been a _simple _pathway for Iwagakure-ninjas trying to invade Fire Country. They weren't able to do anything, except to offer the roads and their infrastructures for the Iwa-nins to use for travel. They'd been so weak, and they were coerced to be pathetic scums that were the disgrace for the ninja world. They didn't offer a resistance against the Iwagakure ninjas that time, and they suffered the consequences. With that, as Iwagakure's seeming success in that great war, more and more of their lands were ravaged, namely Konohagakure's plan to destroy one of their bridges as to protect the Land of Fire and many others that were covered up by the ashes of war and memories.

They didn't bear grudge against the village that attacked them, for Kusagakure knew that it was stubbornness as one of the reasons of a ninja's fall, and they surely didn't want to be stepped again by the enemy. They would not bear hatred against the enemy of the past, because Kusagakure strived for some peace in the future. Anger towards the enemy would slow them down – that was what they believed. Good thing was that Kusagakure had already known its weakness from the beginning; they could really do nothing against the enemies that tried to attack them. With that, as much as possible, they tried to avoid conflict – they didn't know if Kusagakure would survive another assault.

Kakashi observed the homes and buildings scattered around the village proper. Unlike in Konoha, the structures found in Kusagakure were less _developed_. Even though Kusagakure and Konohagakure structures almost looked the same – there were some major buildings that could differentiate the architectural inclinations of the two villages –, theirs were still smaller compared to his home village. And the moment he remembered that it was _Kusa_, he understood why the village was still almost underdeveloped for a ninja village – Kusagakure was one village that suffered in the wars, and their slow development were proof that it had taken them a long time to live normally again.

Kakashi and his team were received by a Kusagakure ninja in the name of Haruo. By the number of ninjas following him, it seemed to Kakashi that the guy was some higher ranking ninja, maybe the leader of the ninja ranks of the whole Kusagakure. The silver-haired ninja walked silently as Haruo lead the group into the third floor of the central building found in the village. Reaching a large room in the labyrinth-like building, Haruo had asked the group to remain as he observed all of them.

"I hope this is not interrogation." Kakashi suddenly talked.

"In a way," Haruo answered. "But no. We are just concerned to find your group going into the village itself than to meet the group we sent."

"Haruo-san, that is the reason why we are here." Kakashi said, not waiting for any more trigger to continue speaking. He carried on. "I'm afraid that Kusagakure must consider some sort of emissaries to be sent into Takigakure, or prepare yourself for an impending attack." The silver-haired ninja brought some distress to Haruo.

Haruo's stern form become more serious, his black eyes staring differently from the hospitable gaze he was giving lately. "Hatake-san, please clear what you are saying. We don't want some sort of misunderstanding erupting here, yes?"

Kakashi told Haruo what happened in their rendezvous point, which the latter highly doubted at first. The silver-haired jounin had a hard time explaining, since the Kusagakure ninja seemed to have less and less patience while he continued to persuade him to believe him.

"That is the truth, Haruo-san." Yamato answered. "We may have lesser time to prepare if you're still not persuaded. We are merely considering the safety of your village."

"I still don't believe you." The leader ninja said. "Unless you give me proof."

Kakashi told Haruo to let him bring with him some Kusagakure to see the dead bodies of the six Kusagakure ninjas who killed those Takigakure ninjas, and, in the end, being killed by a merciless missing-nin who found their presence as mere annoying.

**

* * *

**

**Six hours later**

It was evening, and the night had begun to conceal the presence of the ninjas scattered around the borders of Kusa-Taki. It was both disadvantageous to both sides, even though it provided them more stealth capabilities to use against the enemies. But since both benefit from the darkness the night possessed, the advantageous part of being able to hide in the dark were nulled, but then degraded into a drawback because there was a total decrease in the visual sense. Sure, there was a lot other sense to rely on, but it was a clear fact that eyesight was one good tool for battling ninjas.

There was a brief stand-down that happened, since Kusagakure noticed that Takigakure had stopped sending some troops of ninja into their territory. Kusagakure, however, had no plans of taking that moment to attack their adversary; they were weakened again, since their ninjas were outnumbered one to five. Their choice was only to defend, because it was the only way for them to actually defeat some Takigakure ninjas without sustaining too much loss. It had been determined when the first kunai flew – it would be a war of attrition.

As predicted by Kakashi, the Takigakure ninjas attacked as soon as the surviving Taki ninjas they encountered lately had returned to their village. It had totally been a surprise, actually. It wasn't the same as what happened to Konoha almost three years ago; where the enemies used the chuunin exams as a front for them to silently infiltrate the village to weaken it from the inside. Takigakure had been more direct in its attack, but they made surprises that were not anticipated.

Takigakure declared war on Kusagakure, and after _five seconds_, the village walls of Kusa erupted into an explosion. It happened too _fast_. Of course, it wasn't on the minds of most strategists. Usually, after a declaration of war, it would take some time for the attacking enemy to reach their target, and that was the window time for the defending village to prepare for the oncoming assault. But an attack after _five seconds_? Surely, the messenger sent by Takigakure was willing to die to have mocked the belief of Kusa. Of course, the messenger could have served as the distraction for Taki to work their magic.

Half of Kusagakure were burning in flames, as ninjas from Kusagakure were trying to evacuate most of the civilian families from the danger. Other ninjas were holding Taki ninjas from the opening they made from the wall that was destroyed six hours ago. Even genin and pre-genin had been relinquished to help in the evacuation. It was indeed a war of attrition, with Kusa nins hoping that this would tire the enemy out. But it was a war that they weren't expecting what would happen next. They chose the tactic, but even they didn't know if they could survive their own attrition.

It was not in their order, but Kakashi was trying his best to fend off the attacking Taki-nins. He was helping Kusagakure ninjas because he knew that the village would not eventually survive the attack. He didn't want to see the innocent being slain. Hell, everyone from Kusagakure was _innocent_ – it was the working of those six Kusa-nins that caused their whole village to suffer. He was able to take down three ninjas, and he was pretty sure that they were low-jounin level, only for him to meet the _jounin _teacher of the trio – from him he knew that those he killed lately were _genin _qualified for chuunin exams. He was shocked, actually, but had suppressed his outward expression of that surprise. He quickly disposed of the leader, finding that killing one person was easier than three people attacking at the same time.

He withdrew from the center of the battlefield, going near a troop of Kusa ninjas, trying to calculate his next moves against the attacking enemy.

"Hatake-san," someone called him, and if he wasn't near some Kusa-nins, he would have slashed the throat of the newcomer. He just looked at the latter. It was Haruo. "What says Konoha about this one?"

"I still do not know, Haruo-san." Kakashi answered honestly. "I've dispatched my group back to Konoha and I myself was left here to help you – even though it wasn't ordered to me."

"We need the help of Konoha now, Hatake-san." Haruo said, even though his melancholic voice projected strength and authority, the silver-haired jounin heard the slight glimmer of plead from him. "If this continues, Kusagakure is sure to fall."

"Haruo-san, I am in no position to tell you what Konoha decides. It's the work of the Hokage. And, personally, I will like to tell you that Konoha is hard-pressed in picking up its decisions. If I am there, I am expecting that I'll just destroy the mind of Tsunade-sama." Kakashi looked towards the direction of a recently exploded explosive tag. "Seriously, I found Takigakure's action less threatening than what your ninjas did. Sadly, it was Konoha who saw the entire event; both Takigakure and Kusagakure have heavy reasons to load."

"But, Hatake-san…"

"It's either we turn this alliance into a defensive pact or Konoha remains neutral…" Kakashi was just able to say. "I'm sorry, Haruo-san. But I'll make sure I help you out as long as I am here."

**

* * *

**

"This is _unbelievable_." Sumi suddenly gasped, after she had scanned the contents of the scroll the mysterious Kakumo brought them. Even though at great astonishment, Sumi couldn't hide the anger she was flashing at Kakumo, since the latter had just come some minutes ago, when they should have started moving **three hours **ago, if came earlier. Her comments attracted the attention of Nebi and Moko from a distance.

"What is it, Sumi-chan?" Moko asked.

"According to the estimates that Tsuchikage-sama has gathered, Takigakure have at least 10,000 ninjas from their jounin to genin level ranks." Sumi said. "They've amassed too much number of ninjas from the time of their silence for almost three years already."

"That discounting the number of rogues that have been hired by Takigakure." Nebi said, looking at some parts of the scroll related to the rogues. "Well, even though the number of rogues will not reach more than 3,000, we're sure that some of them are A-rank missing-nins." The silver-haired young man said.

"Takigakure must have a lot of resources to have hired that number of rogue ninjas." Moko remarked. "And they must have conscripted a lot of their own citizens into becoming ninjas – maybe even the civilian sector was forced."

"Sumi-chan, Nebi-kun, Moko-kun," Kakumo started talking, looking at each one as he called their names. "What brief the Tsuchikage gave you? I need to know, because he sent me here without telling me much."

Even though how much she wanted not to answer the masked man, Sumi was obliged to answer. "From the latest information that we got, Takigakure has emptied itself good 85% of its ninja. The remaining ninjas inside were probably some jounin, some chuunin, and mostly genin to protect the village itself. Our mission is to infiltrate Takigakure when their ninja number on the inside has been sent to the outside and decreased a lot." She said, seeing some nods from Kakumo.

"How many group of ninja have the Tsuchikage sent here?" Kakumo asked.

"Ten."

"Te––WHAT?!" Kakumo burst in surprise.

Team Obsidian glared at him.

"That will only make you thirty ninjas entering Taki?! Isn't that dangerous?!"

"It's thirty_-one_, actually, if you count yourself, Kakumo-san." Nebi intervened with their talk.

Kakumo scratched the back of his head.

"Is everyone ready to go?" Moko announced loudly.

"Wait--!" Kakumo suddenly shout, attracting the attention of whole ninja platoon that the Tsuchikage sent the eastern border of Earth Country. "Hey, don't glare at me!" Kakumo quickly pointed his fingers at both Nebi and Sumi. "Before I forget to tell you, the Tsuchikage had changed some plans."

"Tell it now."

"We're not going to infiltrate the village now. He said we will attack tomorrow, after he had sent the signal for Iwagakure to attack." Kakumo explained. "He said he wanted to weaken Taki first by letting it send more of its ninja towards Kusa.

"Why the sudden change?"

"The Tsuchikage felt some major difference on how the enemy acted, and he is holding off the invasion to assess the situation." Kakumo answered.

**

* * *

**

**The following day**

**An hour before sunset**

"Kakumo-ojisan!" A brown-haired male suddenly shot his eyes up the tree branch above him, seeing the arrival of his ally and friend to help in his direst needs. "I knew you would come!" The young man continued to cheer when he knew he would not be pinned by a group of Konoha ninjas who were presently raiding the southwestern wall of Takigakure village proper.

Kakumo just waved to the brown-haired male, telling him to pursue on his way and he would be dealing with the enemy himself.

"You again." Kakashi muttered, seeing that the tanned and brown-haired Iwa-nin they were trying to capture escaped from their clutches.

"I told you, Kakashi, we'll be meeting again." There was some difference in his tone, and Kakashi noticed that easily. Compared to the first time he had encountered the man, the latter sounded more energetic and laidback. Now, he was more serious and his tone was deeper than before. "You will not follow my boy, Kakashi. You will fight with me."

Kakashi waved off the group just standing behind him, ordering them to continue to their mission while he dealt with the Iwa-nin pest. "So, getting a little cocky are we?" Kakashi raised his forehead protector that covered his left eye and revealed his Sharingan.

"Serious, then?" Kakumo said, slowly putting his hand to his mask. Kakashi gulped; he would finally be revealing himself! Kakumo continued to speak. "I was ordered by the Tsuchikage to hold you for a while, Kakashi, in fulfillment of the promise I made with my boy." He loosened the band that held his mask, moving it away carefully. "Then we shall fight seriously, since he is the one of the people I want to protect." In a single swipe of his hands, the mask was removed from obscuring Kakumo's face, which astonished Kakashi more than ever.

The silver-haired jounin's knees quivered in sudden surprise, _hatred, sadness… _and _happiness_. His eyes were wide in shock, as his balance lost him into kneeling into the branch he was standing. "_Obito…_?"

"I see that my eye was given to a very good ninja. I'm glad." The newcomer grinned.

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

_This is D. Kezelghski's friend. Sadly, I needed to restrain the author so that the continuation of this chapter will not be done._

_As an additional note I found scribbled near the drafts, time identification will happen this way:_

**_12:00MN/0000HOURS - Midnight_**

**_06:00AM/0600HOURS - Sunrise_**

**_12:00NN/1200HOURS - Noon_**

**_06:00PM/1800HOURS - Sunset_**

_- **For example**. 2 hours after sunrise will mean 08:00AM/0800HOURS, 1 hour before sunset means 05:00PM/1700HOURS, 2 hours before midnight means 10:00PM/2200HOURS._

_The author said "Thank you for reading."_


	14. Rock hurled at the Waterfalls, Part 1

**Author's Note: **I am so bad. I am so bad. I am so bad.

Well, well, here's another chapter posted. Thank you for reading.

I'm very near in starting my next story... [demonic laughter echoes across the room].

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto (only the other characters... NO, IT'S ONLY A JOKE!)

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 13 – Rock hurled at the Waterfalls, Part 1**

**Sunrise**

It was something that the Tsuchikage didn't expect. When he had the messenger birds arrived at their present location at southern Earth Country border, he was basically surprised to know that a _massive _number of Takigakure ninjas were already stationed at the border of Land of Grass. It cleared his mind though, after the he'd knew it – it was not a concern anymore that Sasuke was able to abduct at least fifty Taki-nins to Naruto's location. It also bothered him that Takigakure was already prepared to initiate such attack to a neighboring village; it just meant that the Hidden Waterfall Village was _already _expecting this. Or, in better terms, was _waiting _for the right opportunity.

And they just gave them the best opening for them to commence the attack. The Tsuchikage scowled; if Takigakure was _aiming _to attack Iwagakure, then they would surely be hard-pressed in fending off the enemy ninja. He hoped that the order for the whole Iwagakure ranks to halt the attack was received by everyone. He reconsidered every card he was going to play. Surely, he underestimated Takigakure as he planned by the big picture. The village was playing _damn _smart, and he had been outwitted – he would admit. _Pride comes before a fall_.

According to the _Spearhead Group_ – the name he gave to the ninjas he assigned in the eastern borders of Earth Country–, Takigakure had sent many of their ninja to battle already. And if the patterns of Taki ninjas movement would not change as he knew from the reports he was constantly receiving per se, the Tsuchikage estimated that those ninja would come as reinforcements for another day. That was the reason he wanted to delay the attack; he was waiting for the reinforcement coming from Takigakure to be a day away from the village so that the infiltration group he'd send would not be intercepted.

_Ten thousand ninjas, huh?_ The Tsuchikage thought to himself, still amazed by the amount of ninja the village was able to muster after those year of silence. The only reason he could thought of for Takigakure to obtain that number of ninjas was that the village invoked a _forced _conscription to the population of the village. That method was harsh, if the leaders of Takigakure weren't expecting an uprising from their villagers. _Unless_… Ōnoki continued to think, another possibility rising into his mind.

Another messenger bird came to their location, quickly snatched by the ninja who was assigned into sorting the message and verifying if it was untouched or true. Upon seeing the drawn coded sign on the small receptacle of the message, the ninja didn't hesitate to take the paper or check if it came to the proper people. Once he saw the drawing, he knew he needed to hand it over the Tsuchikage immediately.

"Tsuchikage-sama!" The ninja went into where their kage was standing. Giving a quick bow, he didn't hesitate to hastily tell him about his rush. "A messenger bird came together with a high-priority level message addressed to you."

Ōnoki raised an eyebrow. "Codename."

"_Sunset_." The ninja said.

"Very well," The Tsuchikage replied, accepting the small paper from the ninja's hand. "Well, _Naruto_, what do you have for me?" As he was busy untying the small rolled piece of paper, he was musing on how Naruto decided to pick up a codename for his identification. Seriously, he was expecting something from the blond like 'ramen', 'bowl', 'noodles' or 'extra bowl'. But, after some ten seconds of waiting from the deeply pondering blond, he was rather startled when he gave him a rather _deep _word. _Sunset_, Ōnoki smiled, finally exposing the letters that composed the message. _I thought he was rather serious that time, or trying to use something to take away his identity from the codename for a change_. He suddenly chuckled, looking around him if there were some ninja watching him. _Well, he just said that sunsets are colored _orange.

That gave the implication.

The Tsuchikage quickly scanned the contents of the message. After reading the whole paper, Ōnoki could swear he would declare the _Fourth Great Shinobi War _after knowing Naruto's message.

"He's got to be kidding me." Ōnoki suddenly commented. He faced the ninjas near him, focusing his attention to the personnel who were attending the messenger birds for their particular mission. "I'm going to send a message to the divisions we sent into the field." The Tsuchikage looked at the ninjas as they panicked to get the necessary materials for message transcription done. "Tell everyone not to _engage _Konoha ninjas on the battlefield." Eyes suddenly shot towards his direction, quizzical gazes almost scrutinizing their kage. Ōnoki noticed it. "I repeat: Tell them not to engage Konoha ninja. I don't want to start a conflict between our ninjas with them."

After five minutes, almost twenty birds were sent into the air, varying their directions where to fly. Ōnoki watched with less interest as the birds made their way to their destination, instead focusing on the next action he would do for the continuation and success of their major operation. After all, he was still determined to end the aggression that Takigakure started. They had started already, and there was no turning back.

After all, there was something of interest being hidden in Takigakure, and he was using this opportunity to capture the village and sort that _thing _out. For now, he needed to wait for a while as he tried to meander through his minds for some changes in the plans. A little modification in their mission would not hurt his ninjas – after all, he'd trained them to meet surprises on _both _sides.

"Everyone!" He called the attention of every ninjas stationed at his own division. "We will change something for this time. We will support _Canyon_'s movement. We'll follow them close behind. We needed to get the word out that we will not so something about the Konoha threat." He moved out from his position, sorting another mess out from his mind, namely Konoha upholding their position as Kusagakure's ally.

**

* * *

**

**One hour after sunrise**

"Kakumo-ojisan!" Naruto yelled to the masked man as soon as he saw the sight of the man together with Team Obsidian in the Eastern Borders of Earth Country. The blond had almost tackled the man down from the branch of the tree, if Kakumo hadn't pumped chakra into his feet to solidify his position on the tree. Naruto apologized and then grinned eagerly towards his ojisan. Team Obsidian greeted him from below, making Naruto wave to them with full vigor and enthusiastic smirks. Surely, Naruto would always feel energetic and full of life whenever he sees the people he was close to. Naruto prepared another assault of statements of full power towards to him.

"Kakumo-ojisan, I thought you are going to help me against Kakashi!" Naruto shouted and then pouted, good and cute puppy-dog eyes threatening to spill some tears as formation of teardrops swelled on beside the orbs. "Yesterday, I needed to make a compromise because he appeared there when I was just finished handling my task, and then he brought him along some tracker ninjas from Konoha!" Naruto was frantically waving his hands while he was speaking. "I almost destroyed our whole plan!" He pounded his Kakumo-ojisan with very light fists, mimicking a five year old in tantrums.

"There, there…" Kakumo started ruffling the blond's hair with his right hand, while patted Naruto's back with his back. "I'm sorry I didn't come there to help you out." Kakumo flailed his arms around Naruto's 'sobbing' form. "I was held off by some ninjas."

Naruto looked up to face Kakumo, his face flashing his still wide grin.

Team Obsidian was staring from the distance, almost uncertain if they would pave respect to their Naruto-senpai again. He acted just like a _kid _in front of them! They knew Naruto acted _child-like_ often doing something good due to the good-natured personality of _innocent _children. But they'd probably never seen – and would never try to – a Naruto who was _childish_. It was a very _eerie _sight to see. Before they had reached to that conclusion, Nebi already denied knowing who the heck that blond ninja is.

Naruto always did this whenever he had the chance with Kakumo. He didn't know at first, but Naruto had felt some _close _association with Kakumo, even when it was the first time he saw the man. There was something in his heart that told him that Kakumo could be trusted, something that the man reminded him of _home_. Then it came sooner that he'd expected – he grew unusually attached to Kakumo, referring him as his 'ojisan' for almost _unknown _reasons at all. What he liked most about Kakumo was that the latter was reciprocating his childish acts with his own. Kakumo could be the shining light of happiness he was wishing for! That was one moment that Naruto always wished to have, since it relaxed him every after some tiring missions.

"Actually, Naruto," Kakumo spoke. "The reason why I didn't come there is because I actually held off Kakashi for some time before he reached your spot." Kakumo smiled under his mask, even though no one could see it. "If I haven't been able to do that, then he and his group could have still reached you before you do your 'act'."

"Oh." Naruto could only say. He grinned towards his ojisan. "Sorry to have doubt you, ojisan."

"It's okay, my boy." Kakumo ruffled the blond's hair again.

Sasuke – who was standing beside Team Obsidian – was fuming. Now that he knew that the masked man was the one Naruto called 'Kakumo', he stared to brood and glare at the man again. Even though it was obvious that the man wasn't really minding him, Sasuke was still persistent in holding himself off into attacking the man. His blood started to boil again, Sasuke was releasing the heat of his killer intent around the vicinity, attracting the sensitive 'Teme' sense of Naruto he developed at some time.

"Sasuke," Naruto called the attention of the raven. "I told you to stop glaring at Kakumo-ojisan."

Sasuke shifted his defiant stare to Naruto's direction.

"Kami… Do we need to get this all over again?" Naruto whined.

"But he has the Sharingan!" Sasuke suddenly shouted, wincing Team Obsidian in the sudden outburst coming from the stoic and silent teen.

"What's wrong with that?!" Naruto spat back. "At least you should be happy that another of your clan _survived_!"

"This is unacceptable." Sasuke retorted. "The Uchiha must have a record about him!"

"And when you researched about it you found none… yeah, yeah, Sasuke, I've heard that thing from you for many days now." Naruto said. "Just enough with the rumblings, Teme. It's not good for you to question and doubt a teammate."

"Just to remind you, I'm working _solo _missions for the Tsuchikage. I'm not working with _any _of you."

"You _vengeful, pale, sadistic, snake-lover, who-can't-get-over-with-the-going-more-powerful-thing-that-I-defected-to-Orochimaru_!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke.

Team Obsidian synchronously slapped their foreheads, wishing that they didn't see this part of Naruto's personality. Who guessed that he was actually an _idiot_ trying to pretend one? Of course they wouldn't tell that to their senpai.

"Mah, Mah, just cut it off, _kids_." Kakumo suddenly talked, waving his hands as a signal to stop the banter. He received a glare from _both _Naruto and Sasuke. "Naruto, next time, tell Sasuke-kun here that I will soon tell him of how did I _acquire _the Sharingan." He looked at the direction of Sasuke, who actually tensed when he was looked upon by a face the raven couldn't discern because it was obscured by the mask.

"Alright…" Naruto nodded towards Kakumo.

Kakumo blinked under his mask, his face at the blond's direction. _Five, four, three, two, one_...

"HEY!" Naruto suddenly burst. "You haven't actually told me how you have that Sharingan after all, Kakumo-ojisan!" He held Kakumo's shoulder in a defeated look. "You're so unfair!" He suddenly shook Kakumo violently, making the latter dizzy with the powerful wobbling being done to him.

"Naruto-senpai, if you're not going to stop that, Kakumo-san will _die_." Sumi quickly intervened, looking at Kakumo, whose mask was even starting pale due to the vigorous shaking.

Naruto quickly stopped his shaking when he felt that Kakumo's body went limp. Naruto apologized to his ojisan again.

"Naruto-senpai," Nebi called him from the ground. "A messenger bird arrived. It has a message for you." Naruto quickly went into the forest floor, taking the paper from Nebi.

"Team Obsidian," Naruto called their attention while he clenched his fist, "after all of this is done, we will bury the Tsuchikage to the ground."

**

* * *

**

**Three hours after sunrise**

"We will reach the border of Land of Grass and Land of Waterfall in half a day, if we'll be going to engage in full speed and no breaks." Yamato announced to the twelve ninjas together with him. They've been travelling at that pace since they were sent last _midnight_. The Hokage would be furious with them if they were not to reach Kusagakure in time, and she sent them even though at an ungodly time. "The Hokage _insisted _that we give our aid to our allies before it's too late."

"This is so troublesome," Shikamaru muttered, instantly drawing the attention of Yamato with him.

"Shikamaru, it's calming that you join us here." Yamato quickly told the teen. "I need a better mind in thinking things."

"Where are the other jounin?" Shikamaru replied in question.

"Ah, that's what bothering you…"

"Technically, I haven't seen Asuma, Kurenai-sensei, or Gai-sensei."

"The Hokage had sent almost a hundred jounin to assist with the skirmishes that happen in the Land of Grass. They were sent even before she announced that Konoha will honor Kusa's status to our village." Yamato answered.

"As an element of surprise, I guess."

"Correct." The captain answered. "Takigakure was just as blatant. We return them the favor."

"It's _dirty_." Shikamaru said. "To show them that Konoha was disinterested with helping Kusa then suddenly surprising the enemy."

"Deception is one ninja art." Yamato answered.

"Yamato-taichou," A feminine voice erupted from behind. A young woman with brown eyes and hair of the same hue, gathered in buns, started to look at the Wood Technique user. She adjusted the scroll at her back, the dangling mass slightly misplaced as she jumped. "You know, it isn't just Shikamaru who has something in his mind that is bothering." She had a straight face. "The Hokage _failed _to tell us what our objective in the battlefield is."

"It's on purpose, Tenten." Yamato told her. "I will give your orders once we reach our destination."

"Why is that, Yamato-taichou?" Ino asked, lifting her bangs to have a clearer view of the jounin.

"Kakashi-senpai has been in doubt when this entire problem started, and he wished, if we are to come back to aid, that we meet with him first to discuss all of this." Yamato told them. "There have been _some _surprises that occurred during our mission." He gave a glance towards Neji and Shino, who actually flinched when a ghoul face looked at them. Shikamaru, from a distance, observed the interaction. _Interesting_…

"Like Takigakure already in position for such an invasion?" Shikamaru rose.

"Yes. It's highly unlikely for an invasion force just to teleport all of a sudden in the Land of Grass border. As of Kakashi-senpai's own theory, it seems that they were already there at the time even before Taki launched its attack." Yamato replied.

"It's the only reason behind it," Shikamaru declared. He yawned. "They're too troublesome."

**. . .**

Back in her office, Tsunade was having a headache in the size of Konoha itself. In just one night, she found herself in a brink of war – no, the war had already started. She could not, and thought could never, find the motive for Takigakure to start a war. Yamato had reported to her that it was through the Kusa-nins that Takigakure had the need to retaliate. But the logic was ungraspable; invading a village in revenge for thirty people was inequitable. Another vein popped for blaming those Kusa-nins for being so rash in defending their territory.

_I think I need more sake_, she thought, flinging her head to the window to watch the scenery again. She could not imagine that outside her peaceful village – with all the gleaming light and the loud voices of the playing children – was a war that was destroying more lives because of petty reasons. It was already some ages that she knew the meaning of why the Sandaime had always been risking for the preservation of peace. She, herself, had already discerned the value of life, multiplied by the death of the two close people to her – Dan and Nawaki. The loss of the people close to her was devastating – it was only the way for her to discern the _real_ preciousness of different people near her. Lessons were learned better in the hard way. When she had lost those people, she wished that it would not come again to her life. She'd vowed, back then, that she'd never engage in any fighting again, her fear of blood encouraging her to do so. It was peaceful in her old back life then, happiness being fulfilled by the materials of the world. But, there was still a difference with that peace and _true _peace.

Her peace back then was more _passive_, only relying on the temporal reality to fulfill the emptiness that occupied her for the long time. It was the kind of peace that only dealt with the happiness of the mind, the happiness that _numbed _the senses. It was the happiness that brought her away from reality, sacrificing some truths and values in repression of some sadness. Yes, that was it – her happiness was just a _repressed sadness_. A good feeling from the bad. But was that the feeling she was suppose to feel? Just as sake put her emotions into a stance of contentment, it would wear out in time and the old feeling would come back again. Temporary happiness would spoil satiation. That type of happiness only increased her likeness of it, an addiction for it consuming her mind. Just as a medicine's strength needed to be increased if the patient builds tolerance for its effect, it would bring the body the effect of its potency as the result of passiveness and less attention to it.

What was the real peace? In her time as Hokage, the Sandaime's actions in the past taught her some of it. The latter was an advocate of peace, although he didn't sacrifice Konoha's safety in favor of the village's peace. No, it was the peace that brought contentment to both the heart and the soul. It was something that made the heart smile and the soul in greater determination to face anything.

War is one way of peace. It was one of the greatest ironies in the world, and not many ideologists ever liked this postulate. What is peace? Is it the absence of war? Or is it using war to instill peace in the end? What is war? Is it the absence of peace? Or using peace as a motive to obtain war?

"Peace comes in different manner," a voice spoke, containing the attention of the Hokage. The latter looked at the figure now standing in front of her table, her scrutiny starting to linger in the form.

"Well, what is peace to you?" Tsunade challenged the man.

"Peace is not the absence of disorder and chaos." He started, which brought confusion to the face of the Hokage. "Peace is something that makes the heart comfortable. Peace is the mind and the heart's contentment of life. It is something that makes the people smile and feel happy." The man did not show emotion, even though his words were full of it. "Peace is _fighting for the people you love_."

Tsunade was aghast when she heard the statement.

"When you do something for the people you care for, your heart will be contented in the actions you are doing, thus some peace to your heart. It will also justify your actions, thus the pacification of the mind. Knowing that the people you care for will always be protected, it will bring you peace. And as long you are doing the right thing for them, you will be happy about everything around it. Peace is not appreciation, but an active participation of being able to provide happiness to the people around you. Peace does not always mean a state of time or a status of a place, but it has a deeper meaning to the people important to you. It is not being attained by simple means, because you need to persevere.

"Peace is not just for the weak, but it is attained only with the strong heart. Unlike everybody knows, the path to peace is one of the hardest. Because only few people know that, also, in order to attain peace, you need to fight hard as well." The man ended his answer – his speech. It made Tsunade cringed in a way that nobody had brought her, except for Naruto's random ramblings that were always full of meaning.

"What shall I call you now?" Tsunade asked, relieving herself away from the shock that she just experienced.

"Call me 'Turtle'."

"Alright… Turtle it is." Tsunade said, eyeing the porcelain mask being worn by the ANBU. "You should be doing your job now, you know."

"I'm very aware of that, Godaime Hokage-sama." The ANBU said. "You can expect some information to come at some hour now."

_Hour…_ Tsunade thought. _It means that there will be difficulty in getting _it.

**. . .**

Yamato stared at the masked ANBU in front of him; his breathing suddenly went labored when he felt that the pressure being brought by the sudden attack was taxing his respiratory muscles. Others from the massive group were just gaping; the ANBU with them was just as silent as Shino and Neji, but suddenly he charged in one second and he got Yamato pinned with his back to a tall tree. Nobody dared to move, the pure shock from the deed contained any action to halt the happening.

"What are you doing?" Yamato asked, gathering more breaths.

"You _were _ANBU," the masked ninja said. "And you must very well remember that you must put _all _your loyalty towards the Hokage."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't make a fool out of me," The ANBU replied with bone-crushing voice. "The Aburame and the Hyuuga are not great _liars _like you are."

Everyone's eyes were shot towards to the two people, the scrutiny bringing some awkward feelings to the ninjas involved. Neji's eyebrows narrowed, but not by irritation. He felt some killing aura from the ANBU, and he knew he wasn't faring better in holding in his knowledge. The Aburame's facial expression was still indiscernable.

"Shino!" A young man with some facial paint shouted. "What the hell is he talking about?!"

"Who are you, really?" Yamato asked. Seeing that the gestures being manifested by the ANBU told him that he wasn't to answer him, the wood user proceeded in talking to him. "You're good. I can't believe that you actually saw behind our _lies_."

"For an ANBU, you are being a fool for trying to do that in front of another." The ANBU put a lot of strain to the captain, making him a suffer al little bit more. "Now, do you want to suffer more or be labeled _traitors_?"

"Okay, okay, I'm going to tell it…" Yamato said. "Just give me some space, and I'll tell everything _and Kakashi-senpai will do something about you_." The second part of the statement went into a soft mutter.

**. . .**

"Godaime Hokage-sama," Turtle talked again, when something in his mind registered and new information went surging through his analytic mind. "I finally got what you wanted from _Yamato_."

The Hokage straightened, waiting for the message to come from Turtle's mouth.

"It seems that Hatake-san told Yamato to _miss _something from the brief he gave you last night. Yamato told me that it was just more than some killing made by Kusagakure ninjas they saw when they went into their destination." Turtle's voice was suddenly laced with some killing intent, although there were some portion of malice and deception. "Hatake-san and his group apparently met more than what was expected; they've met up with some _Iwagakure _ninjas and _Uchiha Sasuke_."

The Hokage was clearly taken aback with what Turtle knew from Yamato.

"Should I dispatch the traitor?" An innocent sounding voice asked a question, the voice of Turtle too chilly to be coming from some human.

"Definitely not," the Hokage answered. It took her years before she was able to learn to gather some confidence and courage to speak up with the ANBU legend, an enigmatic ninja whose fame rose through the time when he was still serving the Sandaime. "If it's Kakashi you say that told Yamato not to tell us that information, then I believe that the Copycat Ninja considers that it is necessary."

"What are we going to now?"

"Unless Iwagakure isn't doing anything bad, or it was just pure coincidence that those ninjas were present to deal only with Kakashi, then I could say they really don't pose any threat to us yet." The Hokage shared her thoughts. "But I'm still worried that their presence is doubtful."

"We need to act before anything bad is going to happen."

"Alright," The Hokage scratched her head. Sometimes, the ANBU's personality and too much obsessed attitude in making sure that the mission was going to be successful got to her nerve. "If another _hostile _Iwagakure ninja appears to intervene with your and whole Konoha's mission in Kusa, _deal _with them. I repeat, because you have a tendency to _overwork _things, only deal when proven dangerous."

"Hai, Godaime Hokage-sama," he bowed. "I must also tell you that I slipped my tongue when I publicly said that he was from ANBU." Turtle disappeared in a 'poof'. The shadow clone was dispelled.

The stack of papers missed the clone when Tsunade threw it too late. "Another identity exposed…" she held her temples, massaging away the pain that was slowly forming in his head again. "Seriously, why does he always want to backstab the ANBU?"

The door burst open when a ninja brought some inscribed report from nowhere. "You should see this!" The ninja announced, seeing that there was another development that ensued in the battlefield. Tsunade didn't know if she'd considered that 'interesting' or 'troublesome'.

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

I'm sorry to have failed you if you're expecting to find some Kakashi-Kakumo fight here.

By the way, I actually got the name '**Kakumo**' from another name, which is '**kekeme**'. **Find out what it means!**

**Thank you for reading. My sadistic friend taught me how to sadistically instill impatience to the people wanting to read the Kakashi-Kakumo fight.  
**


	15. Rock hurled at the Waterfalls, Part 2

**Author's Note: **Would you believe that I finish posting this after you've read the previous chapter? You must! You reading of my FanFic brought me some incredible powers to write!

I'm so bad. I'm so bad. I'm so bad. Well, **Kekeme **means **False eyes! **Just find out the implication why I chose that.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 14 – Rock hurled at the Waterfalls, Part 2**

**An hour before noon**

"Seriously, I'm going to be killed by these happenings." Tsunade said, looking at Jiraiya who was leaning at the window and looking outside the Hokage Tower. The Hokage had gone wild after reading the paper, and she hysterically called every able-bodied ninja to do her some missions that required agility and endurance. It took Shizune to calm the Hokage before the latter was able to speak. With that, Shizune brought with her Jiraiya, who was able to bring Tsunade into an almost non-existent mood. The white haired sannin continued to listen through Tsunade's random mumblings, trying to show that he was trying to understand her at least.

"Well, at least we know that this whole event has escalated into an international conflict." Jiraiya tried to put a jokingly tone to his statement, although underestimation of the situation's gravity could ultimately end to him having to deal with Tsunade's deadly fists. "And we know that old people are doing things in massive actions that we do not expect." He whirled towards Tsunade's direction. "I really couldn't understand what has gone to the Tsuchikage's mind." The sannin began walking towards the Hokage's table, picking up the neatly folded paper near her somehow trembling hands.

"Everyone has gone mad, I should say." Tsunade replied. "This is unacceptable." She said, almost punching the table to oblivion. Her eyebrows were showing how furious she was, her hands clutching into dust whatever she held off. Putting her glance towards the door, she felt a presence that was to go inside. The door burst open; Shizune reappeared to the room again, dragging with her Kotetsu and Izumo. The two bowed in front of the Hokage, the latter dismissing the respectful stance. They didn't need to do such since there was something that required the essence of time.

"Kotetsu, Izumo, glad to see you here." The Tsunade greeted.

"What do you require of us, Hokage-sama?" The two answered, curiosity shooting up from their auras.

"Ah, just a simple question," there was some playful smirk forming in her face, which made all the males in the room flinch, "Has Umino Iruka returned yet?"

Kotetsu and Izumo sighed, the thought of Tsunade using them as human experiments for some medical ninjutsu dissipating from their heads. "No, Hokage-sama. Umino Iruka is still at his mission." Kotetsu rubbed the bandage that runs through the bridge of his nose. "And maybe because of the recent news about his favorite student, he may take the mission to think of things a bit. Since his mission would not involve some time constraints, Iruka-san might take all of his time for the mission."

Tsunade winced. Of course, if there was one person that would be devastated as her, or even greater, then it would be the academy teacher, Umino Iruka. Naruto considered Iruka one of his very first precious people, and he would have returned the same feeling to Naruto. There was no way in the nine circles of hell to deny Iruka wasn't taking that news about Naruto's death that easily, considering that the chuunin was as emotional as the boy himself. Tsunade was sorry for Iruka, since she knew she was giving another strain in the man's life. Well, another precious life was lost – but the life that Iruka loved as himself.

"Damn," she was able to mutter. "I needed his skill for now." Her eyes suddenly returned to the two figures still standing in her office. "But at least you two are here." She got a piece of paper, writing something in there. She continued to speak as she wrote, "I need the Missions Desk to be working in a 200% output. Tell everyone in your division to expect me seeing them soon. Since Iruka isn't yet here, I'm lowering my expectation of your performance," everyone heard her mutter a very soft 'Kami, I need him for this'. "We're going busy today." The Hokage suddenly glared at the two. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go now!"

That brought Kotetsu and Izumo running into their feet, forgetting to close the office's door to escape the sudden rage-order that came from the Hokage. Jiraiya watched with a chuckle as the two ninja seemed to have been chased by Tsunade's invisible power of command. It brought him the glare of Tsunade, upon hearing the perverted sannin's chuckle.

"You just made it sound that it isn't something to be panicked about," Jiraiya commented. "I know that the Mission Desk will be full of genins."

"There is no other way to prepare ourselves without instilling some terrors, but through additional missions given to them." She sighed. "I'm glad that I didn't send to much jounin to help Kusagakure."

"Well, after the Tsuchikage had sent a direct message to you, I know it's hard to keep from panicking." Jiraiya almost talked in a sneering tone. "_Declaring war with Takigakure_… That isn't a normal move from another kage!"

"But at least he spared us a message that he ordered his ninja not to engage with our own." Tsunade replied. "In short, he was keeping his declaration of war into Takigakure alone. I wish that the order were indeed received by all of his ninjas."

"I've read something about Ōnoki from past mission reports and spy records. He's some strategist that made sure everything is going to be fine, and has a true word of his own, even though he is talking with the enemy. The only thing is that his strategy would always involve _risks_." Jiraiya told Tsunade. "Well, kinda let me remember a _similar _person I know." He said, flashing a grin to the blond woman.

"Don't compare me to that old man!" Tsunade yelled.

"Why not?" Jiraiya asked. There was a long silence before the sannin was able to think of more words to speak. After finding the right ones, he got some courage to talk. "Both of you are _old_."

There was a mock explosion that was heard throughout Konoha coming from the Hokage's tower.

**

* * *

**

**Noon**

Kakashi was standing in a clearing, far away from the main line of defense that Kusagakure ninjas formed when the third wave of Takigakure ninjas had been brought into a halt. Unfortunately, Kusagakure wasn't actually able to do anything against their adversary; the attack waves being sent by Takigakure would only come into a stop when they decided to _retreat_. It meant that Kusagakure was winning not because they were slashing off their numbers, but because it was the decision of the enemy to retreat. They all knew that there would be a point in time that Takigakure would come into them with a larger force. They were getting some sketchy reports that there was a larger movement of reinforcement that would be coming for the day, and Kusa-nins were losing morale because of that. Being partly organized by Kakashi himself, the defending Kusa-nins were able to hold off a push, and half of the village was actually saved from being razed into the ground.

He found the faces of the ninjas he asked as reinforcement, and waited for all of them to reach his position.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura called to him. "Are you fine?"

"Aa." It was the jounin's curt reply. "I only suffered very minor scratches. Nothing too big that I couldn't handle." The silver-haired jounin's gaze fell into a single ANBU that was together with the huge group. He felt an aura from the man that told him that he had met him before, but he was wearing a porcelain mask that was new to Kakashi. He definitely didn't have any recognition of the ANBU. That led him to a certain conclusion. "Egret?"

"Fine memory, Hatake-san." The ANBU answered. "But that is not me."

Kakashi eyed him warily. He was not on the mood to do word games.

"I'm Turtle, as the Godaime Hokage-sama called me." The ANBU continued to speak. "But I must reprimand you for doing one capital crime against the Hokage, Hatake-san." He gazed at the silver-haired jounin, who was already scowling. "You refused to disseminate more than substantial amount of information for the Hokage to act." Turtle pointed towards Yamato. "The Hokage felt that there was something off when he was reporting to her, and so she asked me to investigate the peculiar behavior while being sent for the same mission."

"You worthless piece," Kakashi hissed at Turtle.

"I assure you, Hatake-san, that all information being given to the Hokage will be treated with utmost action." Turtle said. "But I must admit that it is _dumb _for a famed ex-ANBU like you to hide the information."

"Tenzo, what are we going to do?" Kakashi, instead, removed his attention from the annoying Turtle. Tenzo must carry the information of the new mission given by the Hokage.

"I'm afraid that I should be the one you are asking about that, Hatake-san." Turtle said. "After the confrontation that I had with Yamato, I sent the information quickly to the Hokage. She told me to… _initiate _the mission myself."

"How were you able to communicate with the Hokage that fast?" Kakashi asked, obviously annoyed.

"Kage bunshin. Shadow clone. You know their miracle." Turtle said. "I let one clone of mine to accompany them to travel, while my original self I hid in the shadow of the trees. Another was left in the Hokage office to inform the Godaime Hokage herself of any information I will know. Of course, with the clone that started the _conversation _with Yamato dispelled, information was dispersed to me and the clone. This clone in the office shared the information to the Hokage. The Hokage told me new orders and I let it disperse; thus, all information will be back to me."

"Practical," Kakashi commented.

"Make sure not to forget this Hatake-san; this _hiding _of the information will not go unnoticed." Turtle said. He then focused his attention to everyone. "The Hokage's direct order for us is to spearhead a group that will enter the village proper of Takigakure. We will cripple them from the inside, since we all know that reinforcement were already dispatched from the village itself, rending the place with lesser forces. Any question?"

Tenten raised her hand. Turtle nodded to her, signaling her to ask her question. "Turtle-san, if we are going straightly towards Takigakure, then we might be able to meet up the large reinforcement being sent towards here. What are we going to do if we should ever meet them?"

"We try not to engage." Turtle said. "We're going to go covert in our movements." He looked at the lines of Kusagakure ninja in a distance. "Unfortunately, we needed to go to Takigakure faster than their reinforcement will to support their allies."

"ANBU," Kakashi's voice was somehow angry but mostly irritated. "What you are trying to say is _impossible_. You can't let them travel towards Takigakure after you've come here with full speed in almost half a day." Kakashi said, his voice projecting some deadly tone.

"It is the Hokage's order." Turtle said. "If they can't catch up, we'll leave the _burden_." He said it flawlessly, with too much authority in his tone that rivaled Kakashi's deathly voice.

Everyone from the group gasped, most of the teens that Yamato gathered as reinforcements were almost lost at the statement. He was the perfect icon of an ANBU – his mission always on top of the list and anything that would intervene with its accomplishment was a burden. But what was surprising was that Turtle was proudly wearing his forehead protector, unlike most ANBU that hid it from the eyes of the enemy. That ANBU was lot of an irony to be considered a ninja from the village that valued teamwork. It was most distracting to see a ninja that talked to some fellows as if those who could not help at all were considered trash. Kakashi never remembered himself as this cold, even though he was also an ANBU back in his time. There was a lot of thing to do, especially now that he'd started on investigating about that ANBU who was calling himself 'Turtle'.

"Consider the mission failed, Turtle." Kakashi said. "I'm not letting _my _ninjas to suffer from the impossibility of your self-imposed mission."

"Hatake-san, you are disobeying a direct order from the Hokage herself." Turtle reminded him. "Don't invoke for me to _kill_ some disloyal soldiers of Konoha."

The aura of tension between the two ninjas was being felt by the people around them, some of them wincing with the pressure of the killing intent being released by the opposing men. This was something new to the eyes of the Konoha ninjas, who one being particularly caring to fellow ninjas, while the other deliberately shaking the foundations of how teams work in Konoha. Of who would finally win, nobody knew – there were some things they still didn't know about the two to predict the victor.

"Kakashi-san!" A voice called from afar, drawing the attention of everyone and finally ending the imaginary feud building in the minds of the two opponents.

"Haruo-san?" Kakashi replied. "What's with the rush?"

"You will not believe with what information we received." Haruo said, his breathing deepened to regain his lost air. "Some of our reconnaissance teams we sent to spy on the Taki-nins revealed more information than we thought." He paused for a while, getting the largest amount of air for him to continue without a huff. "Iwagakure has declared war to Takigakure."

**

* * *

**

**Three hours after noon**

Naruto was dealing with one-sixth of the whole Takigakure reinforcement himself. Literally.

Everywhere, there were clones of him that continued to break through the enemy lines that tried to defend to the oncoming assault of Iwa-ninjas that suddenly sprouted on their way to south. Hundreds of columns of Takigakure ninjas were broken by a wave of Iwagakure ninjas that appeared from the west, sweeping the seeming strong formation of the Takigakure ninjas.

The message that Iwagakure had declared war against Takigakure went too late for them to prepare from the attack that was going to consume them. Many of Takigakure captains cursed in the middle of the battlefield. Iwagakure ninjas may have constantly intercepting message coming from their home village for them not to know about the improvement in the whole scenario.

The Takigakure reinforcement was actually already very near to the location of their comrades, in a point that they could already see the makeshift camps that their allies had constructed some days ago, before the declaration of war against Kusagakure was made. But, even before they could send some advance party to alert those who were already there, earth jutsus of titanic area of effect began to hit them, sending their groups in frenzy. A new attack had been made, and they were sure it wasn't retaliation from Kusagakure that they would sure defeat.

They quickly rallied up to contain the new threat, only for them to find out that Iwagakure's number matched up their own. Being taken up with the element of surprise, Takigakure's ninjas' morale soon plummeted, their confidence to fight the enemies decreasing a lot.

It was the clash of the Titans. Two villages with roughly a high number of ninjas fighting against each other were ravaging the territory. Being so unfortunate that they hadn't reached their destination, the next battlefield was soon formed in the vicinity of the Land of Waterfall. The ground was changing at a cataclysmic rate, earth being destroyed as armies destroyed armies, arsenal of jutsus trying to overpower the opponent. The field was being ravaged. As the fight continued to grow, life was starting to be collected.

Naruto performed his Multiple Shadow Clone technique for the second time, when his first set was dissipated due to the random hit taken from jutsus, which damage never considered an ally or an enemy. The blond knew that the Takigakure ninjas were never simple ninjas to be dealt with – he had combated them yesterday as a provocation for that war. He knew that they were trained by a master, since all of them became formidable opponents. Tough luck that Kusagakure wasn't preparing for something like an invasion – no wonder why their village was quickly damaged by the very first hidden wave of Taki-nins.

He evaded a kunai; the whizzing sound as the pointed and sharp metal flew through the air caught his awareness to parry from the weapon. Sidestepping in a quick manner, it just went past his hair, catching some strands that were cut. As he regained his composure to make another attack, he knew that lives were starting to make as toll for the battle, some bodies already falling to the ground. Blood suddenly covered the ground, as the red tinge became a flood of misery from the bodies of the defeated ninjas.

He hated blood, as he hated lives being taken from people. But a worthy kill was always as meaningful as protecting one's village. Yet, Naruto would always resolve to end some conflict that deemed his emotions to act in impulse. Why wouldn't Taki surrender?

If this was to continue, more death would happen more than necessary. He needed to do something.

"Hey! Minna!" He called out all his clones. "I want you to cut the incoming columns of Takigakure ninjas from the north. I want to end this fight quickly."

The entire clone Narutos nodded in unison as some of them suddenly towards the incoming ninjas, while other intelligently used a henge to conceal themselves and hide from the enemies. After one minute of collecting themselves toward the location, all of the clones held their hands together, creating a line of Naruto that seemed to block the way of the reinforcement.

The Takigakure ninja only saw this as a petty move to stop them, and it provoked them more to move faster and help their comrades. Once all of them were able to reach the line of Naruto clones, fire swallowed the enemies.

The line of Naruto's suddenly exploded in a hellish fire, the attacking columns of Takigakure suddenly dissipated in a flash. Those who survived were too stunned to move, seeing just the bodies of their former ninjas fell in the attack. The skirmish seemed to have stopped when the explosion overpowered the noise of every jutsu combined in the present battlefield. Everyone just stared in horror when a line of hundreds of _dead _bodies were suddenly formed along the path of the Naruto clones, stopping the exchange of blows and their attention into the _massive _killing that involved many ninjas.

Naruto, as well, stared in shock. He didn't expect that to happen.

_I killed… I killed a lot of them… _He was in disbelief. That wasn't supposed to happen! His clone was only meant to explode in the most minimal effect! He didn't mean to kill them all! Naruto's form was aghast; his knees were trembling in fear as he finally realized the gravity of what he did.

"That's enough." A voice boomed throughout the battlefield, taking advantage of the sudden halt of the fight. "Takigakure, you sure know that you are now being outnumbered by Iwagakure ninjas. Surrender now, and we'll let you live." He said with confidence, the enemy wincing once he made sure the message was heard by anyone. He quickly went towards the side of Naruto, looking at the blond as if he'd taken a major hit.

"Naruto?" Akatsuchi asked. "Are you alright?"

"No, Akatsuchi-san."

**

* * *

**

**One hour and fifteen minutes before sunset**

Naruto raced towards the trees, taking the northeastern direction to meet up with the Spearhead Group that would lead the actual attack to the village proper of Takigakure. There were some changes that happened again during the last hour. During some briefing, the Tsuchikage showed up in the battlefield, carrying some news regarding some new _pests _that entered the war. He told everyone that he already made a public announcement regarding Iwagakure's involvement to the war, and he made sure that Naruto would here that he sent some private message that Iwa-nins would not engage Konoha-nins whenever scene in the field of combat.

"_Tsuchikage-sama, are you sure that everyone knows that we are to remain neutral to Konoha?" Akatsuchi asked, his large form easily blocking the sight of the kage._

"_Of course," The Tsuchikage answered. "I made sure that everyone received the message, except your group, of course." He coughed and increased the loudness of his voice. "Every one of you here knows that we can't still match up with Konoha, since we are at disadvantage. That is why I want to make sure that we don't provoke another village to attack us when we are busy destroying Taki." He looked at everyone, his gazes never stationary. "Just as we did to Taki – attacking it when they are preoccupied with their enemy–, we don't want to risk ourselves being attacked by Konoha, right? That is why I'm telling you now that we don't need to attack Konoha ninjas – _yet_." He said._

"_Ōnoki-sama," Akatsuchi called the attention of his superior, "what are we going to do with the Taki-ninjas that we capture?"_

"_They remain in our care." Ōnoki answered. "And every one of you will make sure that all of them will be treated equally. They are our prisoners, but we treat them as _humans_. Is that understood?"_

_Everyone stared at their kage with disbelief. What was the old man saying?_

"_Why is that, Ōnoki-sama?" The deep voice of Naruto talked, attracting the worried gaze of the old man. Naruto only called him formally when he was serious or there was something that happened that was too grave for him to grasp. "They are our enemy, at the first place."_

"_Naruto," Ōnoki said. "You don't need to kill an enemy for you to assume he's defeated, right?"_

_Naruto only turned his head away, dark features looming in his face. He was right; something happened to Naruto._

"_I told you I aimed for the destruction of Takigakure, but I never said I want its people obliterated." The Tsuchikage said, making some of his ninjas to form some distorted faces of curiosity and doubt. "In defeating something big, sometimes you need only to aim for one weak spot for it to crumble into defeat. You need not to destroy the whole thing for it be rendered defeated." He walked slowly, going near to Naruto. "There are times that you needed not to kill so that one can be defeated."_

_The Tsuchikage looked at everyone. "Everybody, out of this tent. Immediately."_

_Once he made sure that no one was around, Ōnoki started to talk to Naruto. "I know something happened."_

"_That's because your wise-ness is always perceptive, Ōnoki-sama." Naruto answered, scowling._

"_The clock is ticking, Naruto. I won't be here if I'm not interested in hearing it."_

_A tear swelled on Naruto's eyes, as his body made some sobbing movements. The boy had enough of controlling his emotions, and so he started to let his eyes stream some tears, flooding his cheeks and his clothes. "Why, Ōnoki-jiji? Why do many need to die for something so violent to stop? Why do you need to sacrifice some lives before everyone realizes it's already too late? Why do we need to lose many lives before anyone knows its value?" Naruto asked, his tears continued to flow under the stress of loneliness._

_Ōnoki sat at the chair beside Naruto, his back aching while he tried to bend and finally took a seat. "Sometimes, people are dumb, Naruto." He started, pointing out one of the most common information and fact about human beings. "Sometimes, they let their eyes be covered by something they believed into. Sometimes, they let their goals drive them to the point that they had no self-control anymore; that they tend to forget the very littlest thing that humanity has. Sometimes, people forgot the value of things, since they believed at something of greater value for them."_

"_But why the need for conflict? Why just learn to accept things around us?"_

"_That is basically what a human is, Naruto. You need to learn, but not all things are easily learned. Sometimes, you need to feel emotions for you to understand. You see, people go to conflict because they want to protect. It is similar to how much you like to defend the village, Naruto, but, sometimes, you need to act aggressively for you to be able to protect it. You will never learn what to choose or what to do, when you don't try to do anything." Ōnoki answered. "Sometimes, we are blinded in our pursuit of truth. We became blind in the search for something we want. It is basically the same, when you ought to believe in something, or try to discover something. We tend to overlook things because we are desperate to achieve our goals." The Tsuchikage smiled a bit. "But that is the thing that made us learn, Naruto. Once we finally know that we are _wrong_, it will be the moment that we search for the right thing."_

"_You see, every after conflict, people finally realize the truth behind it." Ōnoki said._

"_What?"_

"_Peace – the knowledge that there are other ways to obtain it besides from fighting. People become absorbed when things are related to those that people hold important. It's not that they don't have any choice, but its human nature for us to choose the next available choice. You know, people don't easily get the answer in every question –they thought of it first. Just like war, people need to fight so that in the end they will finally see the meaning of what peace is. That is why, sometimes, you needed something big to do so that you can tell the people that they are already blinded. You need to remind them to the purpose of what they are doing." Ōnoki explained to Naruto._

"_Ōnoki-jiji," Naruto sobbed – so unusual to find a sixteen year old boy do that. "I killed many of them… I was so sick… of myself. I couldn't believe that I did that. I was just going to surprise them with my jutsu, but it turned out that I've put too much power into the jutsu… and it killed them. The fighting only stopped when many realized that too many turned out to be dead already."_

"_Don't blame yourself, Naruto." Ōnoki said. "It is true that it is the life of a ninja – but, suck that stupid cliché already." He coughed and looked seriously to Naruto. "What I mean is that I know you were just trying what you can into protecting your fellow Iwa-ninja, am I wrong?_

_Naruto shook his head._

"_What I can say is that I'm glad that you did something instead of nothing. I know it's hard for you to accept that you needed to kill many in order for them to stop, but it was an action deemed necessary by yourself in order to protect those who are important to you." The old man smiled a bit. "In order for you to preserve the lives of those you cared about, you really need to do something. In the shinobi world, you can't really escape killing, but killing could be justified with the amount of help it will bring in the future. If one man can kill a million, will you still try to save the man if you're job is to kill him?" He asked the blond._

"_If I can preserve his life, why not?"_

"_I know you'll answer that…" Ōnoki chuckled. "But, eventually, you'll always come to a point that there would be no choice but to take life. So don't blame yourself. You didn't kill because it's the mission description but because you are trying to protect some lives. A kill become unjustified and worthless if you do it for fun, but, do you?"_

"_No."_

"_Naruto, I'm glad that you prevented more deaths more than necessary."_

"_I didn't know you are a wise philosopher, jiji."_

"_Well, someone with a blond hair taught me too many things, you know that, brat?"_

Naruto continued to go into his direction, with another light in his life and another mission to fulfill. The Tsuchikage had also used the opportunity for him to talk alone about something that was bothering him from the beginning of the invasion of Takigakure. He told Naruto that there was something big happening in Takigakure, and he wanted him to go there himself. Ōnoki wanted him to assist the Spearhead group in its attack, since there will be more visitors coming than expected.

From the scattered spies of Iwagakure in the field, they were able to intercept a message that Konoha would be sending teams of its own towards the heart of the village itself – a plan similar to what Ōnoki had planned. That was also the reason why he'd want Naruto to hurry.

There was something in Takigakure.

The Tsuchikage knew it.

* * *

- **End of Chapter** -

Have my sadistic way of telling stories about sadistically putting impatience you worked? Again, I'm sorry for making one of my favorite part of the stories as a **permanent cliffhanger **for all of us to ponder.

Well, I'm joking so please shut your Mangekyou Sharingans away from me--!

Thank you for reading! I really appreciate it when someone reads my story.


	16. The Symphony of Frost and Flame

**Author's Note: **Don't expect too much with this one, because I have something greater in mind. I don't want to spoil the story, but I needed to do this so that I'll get the trail of what I'm finally going to do. **Sadly**, Changing Motives will end soon. I'm going to do some more story.

**Message:** Don't worry, Naruto's quest for being the Tsuchikage isn't yet done! I assure you...

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 15 – The Symphony of Frost and Flame**

**An hour before sunset**

"I see that my eye was given to a very good ninja. I'm glad." The newcomer grinned.

**. . .**

_A black haired ninja was trying his greatest output to jump across those branches, trying to assess the time that he was taking him into reaching their supposed destination. There was a subtle stress being imposed to him, since he knew that he was already in a bad situation._

I'll be dead meat in this rate! _He thought, his huffing sounded at strain, trying to regain more air was taxing more of his concentration in jumping through the trees._

Will I make it?_ It was the final question in his mind, before his feet caught some random vine that dangled in that particular tree. He suddenly went off-balanced, sending him out into an unexpected trajectory. He met with the ground, tumbling many times before friction and gravity were able to stabilize him in his final body-to-ground confrontation. He went in prone, the smell of dirt coming into his nose. Finally regaining some composure, he raised his head from the ground, looking at the figure looming in front of him._

"_Did I make it? He quickly shot the question to the figure, hoping that he just made it in time._

"_No. You're late, Obito." The figure replied, arms crossed in front of his chest, his eyes looking disgracefully at the lying figure. The visage slowly moved himself and bent, peeking over the body that was still looking at him. Eyes still in contact with the newcomer. "When did you think we were supposed to meet up?" The gazes he was throwing to the other one were relentless. "When becoming a full-fledged ninja, following the rules is common sense, right?"_

_The newcomer, Obito, now sitting on his knees looked back at the person with the same amount of intensity. "No, you see, while coming here, I ended up having to help and old lady who had too much luggage cross the street." He raised his orange goggles and finally put himself sitting into the ground, scratching his eyes as if it was being irritated by something. "And something was in my eye…"_

"_Yeah, right. That's a lie, isn't it?" The silver-haired shinobi replied in doubt._

_Another figure who was sitting on a large table-like stone opened his eyes and finally looked at where his two students were exchanging words again. Well, he needed to deal with them again. "Don't say that, Kakashi." He put his gaze towards Obito. "You helped the old lady, didn't you, Obito?"_

_Obito revealed his eyedropper from one of his pockets, as he raised it and positioned it over his eye. "I even carried her luggage!"_

"_Sensei, you're too easy on him." Kakashi said, glancing towards his blond sensei. He continued to talk, dissatisfied that his teammate looked like he wasn't learning things. "If he keeps acting like this around people, they'll just be in trouble, right?" The gaze was intensified. "Those who break the rules and regulations are called trash. Right?"_

_His sensei only gave a dry chuckle, masking his slight disapproval of Kakashi's belief._

"_Can't you ever be nice sometimes?!" Obito spoke, rubbing his right eye after he'd put some drop in it. "You're always bitching about these 'rules' and 'laws,' and it's getting damn annoying!" He continued. "What matters is discipline!"_

_At the point, a brown haired kunoichi with some violet facial paint intervened in the crossfire of words. "Now, now. Cut it out, you two. You're on the same team, you know?"_

Obito was grinning at Kakashi, who was still kneeling on the branch, observing the person in front of him as if he was a ghost that had lived again. He couldn't decipher if he was smiling because he was happy seeing his old teammate or he was _sadistically _happy because he could see him trembling in shock.

It was a lot new feeling for Kakashi, since he didn't expect the meeting, even in his wildest imaginations and dreams. He was simply a realist and, moreover, a pessimist who only knew to believe what was valid. It was harsh to imagine that he would be seeing Obito again, alive and well – he never ever dared to think of something that wouldn't happen. Because it was something that would just hurt him, if he let that thought persist in his mind. To see someone you hadn't been seeing a long time ago… someone you weren't expecting to see… It was… It was… _painful_.

In all his years he believed that he had already lost Obito; he saw what happened to him with his own eyes – the scars that he took from that _past _battle, the strain in emotions that had bothered him, and the final blow that finally rendered him immobile in his position. He saw it all, and in the final push of hope, he thought he could still save him. It was just too promising and painful to see Obito again – illusion or not.

_That's it… You can't be real_, Kakashi placed in his thoughts, standing up from the sudden show of weakness from later. He was still staggering, but he was trying his best to show the other one that he wouldn't be weak in front of a mere act to bring his morale down. He pulled out a kunai, putting a tight grip to the weapon. "You are not him!" He shouted, putting himself into an attacking stance. "You're just mocking me, so that you can drop my guard."

"Oh," Obito muttered from the other side of the clearing. "A possibility, ne?" The spiky raven hair he still retained from the spot swayed slightly with the wind, his face not showing any dominant emotions, except for the still wide grin. Obito continued to stare at the silver-haired jounin for a while. "Kakashi, how are you now?"

"Stop it!" Kakashi yelled. "Obito's dead a long time ago! You can't be him! You can never be him!

"That hurts, Kakashi," Obito answered. "Finally able to let me go, eh?"

"Drop the illusion or whatever!" Kakashi shouted. "Fight in the real face you have!"

"Kakashi," Obito called again, his voice sounded hurt. "I am Obito." He continued to talk, even though there was an obvious change from the already solemn tone of his into something that sounded that he was hurting too much. "I am Obito, your teammate under sensei's team. A teammate of Rin as well." He tried to smile, but his sadness was more overwhelming than his foolish attempts to smile. "I am the Uchiha crybaby you always boss around."

"Shut it! Shut it!" Kakashi yelled again, now accompanied by a sudden attack from him. He lunged towards Obito, chidori already in hand. Obito only watched in surprise as the jutsu he was proud of Kakashi was being used against him. It only made him realize that Kakashi didn't believe him, that he was hurting, that he needed to make Kakashi accept the truth.

He was alive and well. And he _missed _him…

The chidori destroyed the branch of the tree, clearly missing his real target. Kakashi shot his eyes above, seeing that Obito had evaded by jumping above and away from the path of death created by the chidori. As soon as he made a stable standing position from the remnants of the branch, Kakashi performed seven hand seals within a second. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball technique!" A ball of fire erupted from his mouth, a ball of destruction speeding towards Obito who was still in mid-air.

"Water release: Water pistol!" A voice came from Obito, followed by a projectile of dangerous looking bullet of water coming towards the fireball. The stream of water punctured through the center of the fireball, destroying it in an instant, while it continued its path towards the attacker. Kakashi disappeared in sight, finally the jutsu destroying the tree when the water seemed to have released some wind that cut through the barks of the big plant. Kakashi watched in surprise when cube-sized tree parts were scattered in the ground.

"Combination technique, Kakashi." Obito said, looking behind him. A silver-haired ninja suddenly appeared in the direction. "Someone taught me this as collaboration, but I soon found out that I can use it by infusing two elemental affinities in a single jutsu."

"I don't care, _impostor_." Kakashi said, appearing at beside Obito, kunai in hand. The Kakashi Obito was still looking at was still there, a distraction that clearly took the Uchiha's attention. "Or did I fall under another trick?" He plunged the kunai to Obito's body, before it exploded into a log. "Kawarimi?"

"Hai," Obito's voice sounded. "Kakashi, I wish to end our fight. I am just here to protect my precious people. I don't really want to hurt you, since I want to protect you as well."

"Stop lying to me." Kakashi said coldly.

"Can't you see it?! I'm trying to take away you from the other Iwa-nins! I know they'll show no mercy when it's you they encounter!" Obito replied in a shout. "Kakashi, you must believe in me. I just don't want you hurt… That is why I volunteered to meet you up myself." Obito was looking lonely at the eyes of Kakashi, when someone stabbed him from the back. He felt the searing pain, as his mind took priority of assessing if the attack hit some vital organs. Suddenly knowing that the attacker _missed _some vital organs, Obito tried to peek to see Kakashi from behind, one of his eye closed in pain. "Kakashi…"

"Who are you?" Kakashi asked, raising another kunai from his pouch.

"I'm Obito, Kakashi." The man answered; no hesitation in talking to Kakashi.

"Stop lying to me!"

"I'm not lying to you!" Obito replied, quickly spinning around to hold Kakashi's weapon, even though the kunai that was still sticking in his back was still stinging. He took hold of Kakashi's hands, disabling them for more attacks. He moved his feet as well, putting his and Kakashi's entangled, so as to stop the jounin for an attempt to attack with the lower extremities. "Look at me," Obito said, looking at the gravely saddened but fueled by rage eye of Kakashi. Slowly, he activated the Sharingan in his right eye, although the one on his left remained normal.

"I gave you my Sharingan as a gift, ne?" Obito asked, sounding partly happy that Kakashi had stopped from some sudden struggling.

"Obito…?" There was deep pain in Kakashi's voice, and it was bleeding. Obito could hear the raw agony in his tone, and it also brought him some. He knew that he made his teammates suffer because of his sudden loss. He wanted to ask their forgiveness for being so weak back then, when he could possibly be stronger to have saved all of them. His silver-haired friend was struggling to stand straight.

"Yes, Kakashi, I'm here." Obito said, finally letting go of his restraint of Kakashi, moving away from him with some steps. The raven observed Kakashi for a while, before remembering that he had some kunai in his back. He reached it slowly, plucking it as soon as his hand made contact with the metal. He made a small yelp that brought Kakashi into the sudden reality, the silver-haired ninja looking at Obito's visage once again. "Are you fine?"

"Why are you asking me if it's you who had taken a major hit?" Kakashi asked, his composure slightly remaining normal.

"Someone influenced me to check first the people near me before myself." Obito answered. "I just picked up the habit though."

Kakashi couldn't still believe that everything of this was happening in front of him. Obito was indeed alive! He'd shown him his own Sharingan, his right eye only possessing it. It only meant that it was indeed the person who had given him the left eye as a gift. But then the pains of all those years were haunting him. It was… it was just… it was just something unbelievable.

_Kakashi had regained his consciousness soon afterwards, finding out that the rubbles and the dust that floated in the air had been gone and settled back into the ground. It was slightly dark, with some massive rocks blocking some paths of light for the place to be illuminated. He was till rummaging through his mind to process what had just happened lately. He remembered that he tripped because he was hit with a stone, then––_

"_Are you okay, Rin? Kakashi?" A voice – a very weak voice sounded from somewhere, attracting the attention of the two people who were recovering from the jutsu the enemy used. Of course, Kakashi clearly distinguished the owner of the voice, the faintness of the tone telling him that the source was in distress. He whirled his head towards the direction where he heard the voice, and he was stricken with utmost desolation when saw the owner of the voice._

_He was there, lying on the ground, right half of his body under a massive boulder. He only stared with a wide-eyed streak for some seconds, before his mind shouted to him that he needed to save his teammate. "Obito!" He gasped as he quickly stood from the ground and ran towards the boulder. He tried to push the rock away from his body, hoping that he could save his teammate. It was a deliberate act of no-hope at all, but Kakashi felt the desire to save his teammate, not minding if his act was effortless or not. Obito needed to live._

"_Stop… It's alright, Kakashi." Obito spoke, blood spilling from his mouth. "It doesn't look like I'm going to make it."_

Don't say that, you crybaby! _Kakashi thought, still trying to push the stone away from Obito's body. He was still hoping that he could save Obito… He needed to save him! He was a bastard, but he was a teammate!"_

"_My right side has been completely crushed." Obito continued to speak, trying to make Kakashi stop his inferior deeds. "I… can't even feel it."_

_He stopped and panted… The stone hadn't moved a single centimeter at all! He tried to pound his fists against the rock. "Damn it!" He cursed, his voice having the taint of somber emotions. He knew he could still do something, but he didn't have the capabilities to do so. "Damn it!"_

"_There's… now way. Why?" Rin said, tears flowing from her eyes as he tried not to look at the frail form of their boisterous teammate. Obito spewed more blood, which made Rin flinch in weakness in seeing a dying teammate. Tears continued to flood run in her cheeks, covering her mouth to repress her urge to mourn._

No way… _Kakashi thought, his knees falling in the ground. He finally went into a crouching position, pounding the ground with his right hand. "Damn it! Damn it!" He constantly cursed, feeling too much useless in the face of a dying teammate. "If… If I had just listened to you from the start, and we left to go save Rin, this never would have happened to you!" Kakashi said, blaming himself. He wailed discretely, his muffling sound a melancholic harmony of sadness and misery in the place. "What kind of captain and Jounin am I?!"_

"_That's right. I almost forgot." Obito spoke; eyes were turned into him. "I was the only one who didn't give you a present for becoming a Jounin, Kakashi." His hands twitched for remembering his small offense he made to his teammate. "I couldn't figure out what to get you, and I just thought of something… Don't worry, it's not gonna be some useless luggage."_

_Kakashi was listening to him, but not being able to understand fully what Obito was was saying about. He wanted Obito to stop speaking, because he knew it was getting difficult to speak… But there was some part of him that still wanted to hear the voice of his loud teammate, since it was the only way for him to know that he was still breathing… alive. He couldn't speak though, as he was overwhelmed that Obito still had the strength to speak to them._

"_I'll give this Sharingan of mine."_

_Kakashi gasped._

"_Regardless of what the village may think of you, you really are a great Jounin. That is what I truly believe. Please accept this." Obito said, trying to gasp for more air and speak. "Rin," he directed his words to her, "use your medical ninjutsu to take out my Sharingan, and transplant it into Kakashi's left eye."_

"_Kakashi, come here." Rin said after wiping out her tears. "I'll begin immediately."_

_Kakashi's body was trembling; his mind wasn't able to process out everything that he heard._

"_I'm going… to die, but I will become your eye in order to see the future."_

_Kakashi decided; he would accept the gift of his teammate._

"It doesn't mean that if a jutsu that is highly destructive, then it will always lead to death." Obito spoke slowly, glancing at Kakashi to see some signs if his old teammate was going to go for another attack. He sat cross-legged on the branch, his eyes not leaving Kakashi. "The last jutsu that they used against us… actually, it didn't kill me. They modified so that everyone caught inside would simply be… _caught_." Obito spoke.

_The Tsuchikage, with the still young Akatsuchi, was walking unhurriedly through the clearing, after he'd received the news that one hour ago, there was a major fight that happened there. It was said that the Yellow Flash himself was involved with skirmish, and the Tsuchikage went into the place to see for himself the power the man possessed, if it was indeed true as gossips would always say._

_He reached the spot, and he was staggered to see that all of his ninjas were dead. He examined the wounds taken up by the dead – the blood wounds and the jutsu-induced scars that lead to death. It only belonged to a single person, with the minimal residue of chakra that belonged to some other person. He then knew that the news was true – the Yellow Flash was indeed a 'one-man army'._

"_Ōnoki-sama," Akatsuchi called him from the massive mound that was formed not too far away from his location. "There is someone breathing under this pile of rocks."_

"_That is expected." Ōnoki answered. "I made an order to collect more prisoners for us to interrogate… or to us to use." He said, moving towards were Akatsuchi was standing. "Move out there, boy. I'm going to remove the stones." Akatsuchi quickly went away from the place. The Tsuchikage made some hand seals, and, in five seconds, the ground rumbled and shook. Slowly, the body that was hidden among the rocks was exposed on the outside, a massive boulder still over the small body._

"_Tsuchikage-sama!" Akatsuchi yelped. "He's under a large rock!"_

"_I know that." Ōnoki said as he went nearer to the boulder. In one gentle push, the rock was shoved away, revealing the totality of the young man. "Hm… strange. I thought I would see his right body flat… But it just seems that he was saved by two jutting stones that received all the force from that boulder." He pointed at the stones, one near the boy's head, while the other near his feet. "He's lucky."_

"_But, why isn't he moving?" Akatsuchi asked._

"_Let's see… Akatsuchi, carry him." He ordered, and the young man obliged. Ōnoki didn't look at the boy to check his pulse, but instead looked at the ground below the body. He smiled, after finding out the thing he was postulating. "I know now." Akatsuchi, looked at the floor where he took the boy. "You see, there are small pointy stones under him, and I suppose that it _miraculously_ hit some nerve and even tenketsu points in his body. I suppose that one of them hit the nerve that is connected to the left side of his brain."_

"_Uhhh…." Akatsuchi was lost in the explanation._

"_Maybe he felt that his entire right side was useless, because he couldn't feel it. But, basically, as you can see in his form, there were actually no more damage than the bruise that was forming in his stomach. His nerve pathways that are related to his right side were impaired. His tenketsu points were hit at the vitals, I guess, because I didn't feel his chakra presence – only when you told me someone's breathing in there." The Tsuchikage explained._

"_So… we have our prisoner now?" Akatsuchi asked._

"_And a very special one…" Ōnoki said. "We have ourselves a ninja from Konoha."_

"You became a prisoner?" Kakashi asked.

"Correction, I became a _stubborn _prisoner." Obito said. "Hell, I was far too loyal to Konoha for me to betray it. Of course, I received not very special treatment, and torture was the most common routine that I experienced almost every day."

"If we just tried to look back at where you were captured, then maybe we could have rescued you home… We were too stunned that we quickly believed that you died, Obito." Kakashi said, his tone shouting some apologies to the Uchiha.

"You did what was best, Kakashi." Obito answered. "By the way, what happened when you helped Rin out?"

"We were ambushed by the enemy, and we were forced to confront all of them. I used the special kunai sensei gave me. All went white and I just woke up knowing that sensei saved us. He explained to me that the kunai he gave me as gift contained some seals that would signal him if we would be in danger." Kakashi smiled a bit. "At a flash, he appeared and helped us."

"As expected of him," Obito just commented.

It was weird, but Kakashi felt peace in himself. He seemed to forget that there was an ongoing war between Takigakure and Iwagakure, and Taikgakure and Kusagakure. That moment, he found himself comfortable. It was the first time that he found himself appeased with all of what he could see around him. His mind was ordering him that the continuation of the mission was important, but his body, soul, and heart were telling him to remain and find the truth in the moment. There was Obito, suddenly appearing and explaining everything. There he was, still hurting because of the scars of the past that was very difficult to heal. Why in that strangest of events that he found himself not wishing for more… Why in that particular moment that he was contented in talking?

He remembered every day that he kept losing the track of time, whenever he would visit the memorial, talking to the people whose lives were given out for the safety of the village. He would often talk to Obito in particular, where he would enjoy the 'one-sided conversation' (Sakura's own interpretation of Naruto bugging Sasuke with too much words without the raven answering at all) with him. He made him happy when he did that, but he knew he would be hurting again whenever he left that spot again. He would often tell in the memorial his day when he had the training with his genin team or the missions that they did that took them out of the village.

Now, it was different that the person he would always talk with was now replying in real words.

"Obito, I…" Kakashi was lost in his words, not being able to find the right words for him to say.

"It's up to you, Kakashi." Obito said. He sounded that he understood what he was saying. "You can tell them over there that I am still alive, and even tell them that I am now sided with Iwagakure." He said, deeply hurting Kakashi with those words. "But… I'm not going back, Kakashi."

It was the statement Kakashi wanted to hear, and it broke him.

"Why, Obito?" Kakashi asked. "I'm happy that you are alive, Obito… After all…" He stopped for a while. "After all, you are the last person I considered close that is alive, Obito." He bowed. "Sensei has died, Rin has been gone…"

"Rin?" Obito looked surprised. He went gloomy.

"Yeah."

"I'm proud of sensei." Obito just muttered. "I am proud of him that he defeated the Kyuubi that attacked Konoha. I'm very happy for Kushina-san that she had a wife that loved her and that loved the village as well." He smiled weakly. "I'm glad that you are still alive, 'Kashi."

"Obito."

"But I'll repeat, I'm not going back. I'll remain as an Iwa, 'Kashi." Obito said. "It's up to you to tell them. But, remember this – I will always protect you with all my might, 'Kashi. Even though we are from different villages now, I will make sure that one of the most precious people for me will live." He sighed, "I promised Naruto that I will lead you away from Iwa and the Tsuchikage…"

Kakashi could swear that he did a double-take when he heard the name. "What did you say?"

"Kuso!" Obito suddenly cursed, standing immediately. "I-I di-did n-not…" The raven lost his words.

"You were never a good liar from the beginning, Obito." Kakashi said, his voice suddenly grew cold. "What does Naruto has to do with this?" He moved closer towards Obito, who was backing up a bit.

All of a sudden, the surroundings distorted out of shape, the trees seemed to wisp out of existence as blackness began to surround Kakashi. After a second of darkness, Obito appeared to be at the original spot where he stood lately, the clues of battle they created were non-existent anymore.

"Genjutsu?" Kakashi said.

"I know you'll not believe me for the first time, so casting a genjutsu to speak with you without harm is the best thing I can do." Obito replied.

"Obito, Naruto…?"

"I told you that you'll not take hold of my boy, Kakashi." Obito was now the one projecting an aura of danger and seriousness.

"He's not dead…?" Kakashi wasn't asking a question; he was pleading. There was a wry smile playing in his face, his eyes showing him that he was to broken from the inside. The silver-haired jounin was telling him in actions that he wanted to hear some good news.

"I will protect him, Kakashi. I will protect sensei's son because you failed to do it yourself!" Obito yelled. "Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique!"

**. . .**

**2 hours before midnight**

"Sasuke," Naruto called out his name, with an evil grin in his face. "I knew I would make something of you out of here."

"What are you saying?"

"Shut up, Sasuke." Naruto said. "But, as I expected, you will be a problem if you are subjected under solo missions." He glanced at the surroundings and nodded as if there was someone in the darkness of the environment. Suddenly, twelve Takigakure ninjas appeared beside Naruto, all of them looking at the raven with pure disgust. "Everyone," he said, "we don't want him reporting to the Tsuchikage the truth _behind _this." He smiled again, evil cures completing a fearful smile.

"What is this?"

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

**OH HELL--!! WHAT IS HAPPENING IN THE STORY?! THERE IS SOMETHING "BIG" HAPPENING! WHAT IS IT?! **[i don't know it too!]

**To tell you the truth, I'm going to kill Obito for exposing Naruto's secret to Kakashi. I swear I hate those who expose secrets!**

**Thanks for reading... I'm excited for my next story! See my profile for information about it.**


	17. The Blight Hidden in the Waterfalls

**Author's Note: **I really have something to do with the chapters that seem vague and not really beautiful (I remember the chapters that I intentionally made ugly). It's a plan, and I'm not telling what.

**Message: **Thank you for reading this fic, and, now, one of the **fun **begins.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 16 – The Blight Hidden in the Waterfalls**

No matter how much conflict was happening in the world, how much tragedy loomed in different places, or how much desolation ravaged at the lands of opposing forces, order could still find itself mingling with some people. Deflated as it was, it would still linger and make itself existent, amidst the chaos that overpowered everything. After all, the measure of true chaos would base in the order that created it. Unbelievable it may seem, it would always be full of mysterious truths that almost contradicted itself. In the world, destruction willed by people didn't appear from random thoughts of war, or the actions that just set off with no pure strategy. In reality, one must assume order in order to obtain chaos.

From all that had been perceived by the outside, Takigakure wanted the destruction of Kusagakure, and it would seem from the scrutiny of the other villages that it has showed great attention of garnering order into itself before going into war. Evidenced by how the Hidden Waterfall Village mustered an army of ninja of at least 10,000, Takigakure proved that it made itself a figure of great order, a paradigm of authority for it to act. The village seemed to will for the defeat of a neighboring village, and they'd proven themselves some best patience and discipline for them to orchestrate their plan. In a world that lived in the tip of balance between war and peace, it didn't take for a certain ninja village to realize that they could also take participation in determining the fate of the world itself. From the eyes of both the Hokage and the Tsuchikage, Takigakure would choose for itself the formidable option of winning into something. Something that they would regret – the kages would make sure of that.

It was sunset when Team Obsidian reached the Waterfall that the Tsuchikage informed them, the marker of the hidden village for outsiders or even some ninja to recognize. Well, there goes another paradox that came to hidden villages; they were indeed 'Hidden Villages', but the sarcasm of how they were easily spotted was still a question to be asked. Since the sun had set and only the fuzzy orange haze on the west suggested its last control on the sky before the night, the surroundings were beginning to be creepy dark, and the team never liked to be blanketed by darkness when they were going into some other ninja villages – especially those who they considered enemy now.

"Moko-niichan," Sumi called their leader, which the latter quickly addressed, "How do you suppose to enter the village? To tell you the truth, I don't even know if there is a village around here." She said, some doubt in her voice supporting her claims. The environment really didn't tell the people that there was a village there, the only disturbing thing to think about was the huge dome-like plateau where the waterfall was coming from.

"Or maybe Takigakure is indeed a very small village that it has been able to hide under the fall itself!" Moko suddenly said, earning him the deadliest glare that Nebi could muster. "Wait, I'll check it." He was about to move when the silver-haired young man yanked his clothes that led to his fall into the ground.

"Moko-niichan!" Sumi yelled. "I know you want to see Naruto-senpai now, but it's inappropriate to copy his dry humor!" She rambled, some veins popping in her head. "We're on a war – a _war_!"

"Maybe it's behind the falls," Nebi spoke, thinking if he would step on Moko to force him to the ground again or help his teammate stand. "Or the way leading to the village is found there. We must look for the possibilities." With his words, Sumi and Moko felt like nodding to the strongest – well, not on physique – and most intelligent of their team.

There were some changes in the wind; Sumi and Nebi felt that there was something about it. They spun around, quickly surveying the place, which brought Moko into a fighting stance. In reality, Moko hated it that he was the one having the poorest capability in doing some jutsus, unlike his teammates. He was actually above average when it comes to ninjutsus, but he wasn't as clever as Sumi or Moko into using them. He had some good arsenal of jutsus, but his teammates simply outnumbered his. Because of that, the two would always be the first to know if there was something different in their surrounding, since the two seemed to be always using some jutsu that enhanced their senses. _Well, it's still a blessing that I have them as a team_, he smirked, even though he knew he was the last in the group in ninjutsu.

"Hi, kids." A voice suddenly spoke, startling the whole group, except for Nebi, who was in total _panic_. He felt some strong arms wrapping around his neck, and some stronger body closing in his own. He was actually waiting for the tip of the kunai to reach his neck.

"Nebi-kun," The voice _whined_. "I thought you are the most _composed _in the group." The newcomer continued to say, but then threw himself into a chuckle. "Hey, don't look at me like that!"

"Naruto-senpai!" Nebi finally realized who the person one, trying to pull himself out of Naruto's clutch. "What the _heck _are you doing here?!"

"I've come to see the best Iwagakure team," Naruto answered, grinning sheepishly.

"Senpai!" Sumi was pulled out into the surprised stupor, returning the huge smile Naruto was giving. "How are you? Are you fine? Are you hurt? Did you take down those Takigakure ninjas that attack you? How is the situation in the front?"

"Sumi-chan, Naruto-senpai already forgot your first question." Moko commented, chuckling. He faced Naruto; his stance suddenly went relaxed and comfortable. "Naruto-senpai, it's so good to see you here."

"Well, I am happy to see you too," Naruto flashed another grin. "And I'm glad to tell you that the Tsuchikage has finally assigned me to help you again. It's still a solo mission, but I'm going to support you now." He told them, squeezing the struggling Nebi beside him. "Nebi-kun, you must remember that no one could live without at least having some physical contact. So deal with it."

Nebi stopped struggling, only for him to mutter a soft, "bastard, _juvenile _senpai…"

"And it's good that you've found the entrance to Taki," Naruto continued to talk.

"Nebi-kun said that the entrance is behind the falls, senpai." Sumi replied.

"That is correct; we can enter the village through there."

"How do you know, senpai?" Moko asked. Naruto smiled briefly – Moko had always been curious.

"I've been here," Naruto said. "Some time ago,"

After that, Naruto told Team Obsidian that they should move quickly inside, since he had received a message before meeting them that some teams from their Spearhead group had entered the village itself, meeting some ninja guards and resistance through the place. This made the team regain their unusual fighting aura, which always impressed Naruto when he saw them together. It made him proud that _his _Team Obsidian was growing into a very strong team – a very strong team indeed.

As they were walking into the cold cave being obscured by the waterfalls, Naruto was thinking about the latest event that he'd just been obtaining through some messenger birds that flew from some random direction he wasn't partly concerned about. Now that they were going inside the village, he knew that his only way to communicate to the outside ninja groups had been sealed, the last message he received the final piece of information for the time constraint. Now, they must discover what was lingering inside of Takigakure itself, and he knew that preparation was in greater priority than just trying to recon the place. He had to tell Team Obsidian of some greater danger, since he was bothered by the last paper he'd got.

_-Meeting some tough ninja patrols, brick and stone buildings obscuring straight path to the central tower.-_

It was the content of the paper – no _possible _doubts could be thought off. But it wasn't the authenticity that bothered the blond ninja. The first part of the statement was obviously true; the village would at least be left with some defenders if the worst case scenario would erupt. It was something not to be much worried about, since he knew Team Obsidian would be capable in wiping out the enemies without too much difficulty. But what really troubled him were the following words the message conveyed.

The last time he saw Kusagakure, it was a peaceful small village that offered silence that seemed no village could provide.

Takigakure was a slightly gloomy village after all, in comparison to the ever-bustling streets of the larger hidden villages like Konoha or Kumogakure. Even though it stood as a shadow along its neighboring villages, Takigakure had some uniqueness that outclassed those of the others. From the outside that bothered Team Obsidian of its existence – forest that was intertwined with some multitudes of waterfalls that seemed to appear everywhere–, Takigakure was a humble village trying to be left unseen. Actually, it prided itself for being not attacked by any of the neighboring villages that surrounded it, no matter how strong those latter was. From his vague memories, he could remember that Takigakure was a village surrounding a _massive _tree in the middle. And it was a very big tree for it to be surrounded by a _whole _village. The homes were nothing grand in comparison to Konoha's own, but it would awestruck anyone for their sheer simplicity and _coziness_. Most structures were constructed out of wood; the most prominent features of those were the roofing that still followed the old traditional style – the typical triangular shape that was designed to let the rain just wash down with the help of gravity.

_Brick and stone buildings_, Naruto thought. Nope, he was sure that he didn't find something like that in the past. In his own reasoning, it would seem impossible to construct something of those because Takigakure was being bordered by forest in the outside, unless they imported a _mountain _from other villages. _And a central tower_… He sighed. And there was no central tower back then. There was a _central tree_, but not a tower. Definitely not the things he saw when he was still younger.

"Naruto-senpai, we're here," the voice of Sumi pulled him out of his musings, as he let his eyes drift around the scenery that was presented in front of him and Team Obsidian.

Naruto stared in shock as the imagery that he believed he would see again betrayed him – it was no longer the Takigakure that he had seen from before.

"What the _hell _is this place?" Naruto could only say in shock, the sight finally unleashing itself in front of the newcomers.

"Uh…" Moko mumbled. "Takigakure?"

"This isn't Takigakure." Naruto flatly said. He continued to stare at the place, the image of the past finally being replaced by the rock and stone structures that outlined the whole village itself, creating a wall of concrete that bordered the village proper. From the spot that they came from, it appeared that the village had been turned into a village-size keep. The whole place was covered with buildings of enormous sizes, obscuring most of the path that was laid in the middle of the structures. From where they were, Naruto and the others couldn't discern what existed beyond the building that blocked their view; the only thing that attracted their attention was the highest structure that soared through the buildings. It was a tower of great construction, and one could easily pinpoint that it was located in the center.

Team Obsidian was also caught in wonder upon seeing the location. It wasn't something to be expected of a ninja village, although they knew similar out-of-normal designs had been flourishing around the ninja world. They'd been hearing that Amegakure had also a very _peculiar _architecture, and it made them wonder what a strange ninja village would look like. And now that they were seeing such wonder, Team Obsidian felt something different aside from astonishment – nervousness and fear. From the designs of the place, the black stones and some precious _dark _marbles outlining the buildings, the torchlight that illuminated the concrete paths and the hollow places inside the structures, Team Obsidian felt very vulnerable after finding themselves inside a hive of enemy ninjas. It was a place of darkness, and it was very eerie indeed.

**. . .**

"Naruto-san, we're expecting you." A ninja wearing the standard Iwa uniform appeared near the building where Team Obsidian and their blond senpai were hiding. Naruto felt that the ninja wasn't in a disguise and told Team Obsidian to take watch of the surrounding. He quickly approached the ninja, who was seemingly patient in waiting for the blond.

"Must be a _late _message or a briefing from Ōnoki-jiji, I guess." Naruto replied, and he saw that the ninja's eyebrow twitched. The reason why – he didn't know. "Uh, I think I deserve some _more than_ minor briefings here." He said, trying to convey a seriousness that needed to be tended immediately. "This is _out _of our expectations."

"I do not understand you, Naruto-san." The ninja answered, curiosity clearly written all over the face of the man. "From the last briefing that Tsuchikage-sama gave me, he told me that he would be assigning you here after all, since you've shared to him that you went here once." The ninja explained, pulling out the memory of his last meeting with their kage. "He said you know more than anything about this."

"I did say that to him," Naruto's eyes narrowed. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, and then started looking around the place, scanning everything that met his eyes. "But it has been almost _three _years when I last came here." He said, still wondering how the hell the village transformed into something dark and eerie. "And I am very surprised to see that Takigakure has made some… home improvements."

The ninja stared blankly at Naruto, trying to process what the blond ninja just said. In realization that he couldn't understand the meaning behind it, he started to speak again, returning the point of their talk. "I'll just explain to you the present situation, Naruto-san." Naruto nodded, which prompted him to continue. "From the collected reports from roving groups we asked to patrol, we discovered that Takigakure was indeed a _keep _that is circular in area, walling itself in through its border. The buildings inside the village-keep are positioned in such a way that a line of buildings follow the same circular shape of the area, creating a ring of buildings inside. Between the outer wall and the ring of buildings is a wide road, which we called the 'outer ring', for easier reference of the place. Still inside the first ring of buildings is another one, creating a second smaller ring of structures. Same as the 'outer ring', we called the road between the first and the second ring of buildings the 'middle ring.' From our other reconnaissance team, we knew that there is another similar formation inside the second ring; thus, having the 'inner ring' there. And inside the last ring is the tower itself." He explained to blond, pointing out the eccentricity of the place.

"You told me how the place is designed," Naruto talked, his gaze still half-empty from the explanation. "But how are we able to enter the rings? I mean, do they have some paths that connected the rings together?"

"Yes, Naruto-san. Fortunately, they made sure that the rings are joined with each other." The ninja said. "But I must admit that they made sure that it will not be an easy way." He talked, sounding a little bit frustrated with his own explanation. "They made a _labyrinth _out of this place."

"To keep the enemies at bay, obviously."

"But we've made some progress inside, Naruto-san." The ninja told him. "From the latest happenings, the Spearhead group has made a rough landing on the middle ring already. This happened after we've made sure that the outer ring has been cleared of enemy ninjas." He snorted, his tone being blemished with a sound of pride. "We've come to a plan that we'll take out all enemy ninjas in a ring before proceeding to another."

He had to admit, but it was a sound plan of the Spearhead group. The decision was tricky since it could involve more casualties than their mission priority provided. But they were lectured long ago that it was best to eradicate the enemy before making a safe escape – nobody could be sure of being successful in the end if threats were still looming. After all, Naruto had faith in the Tsuchikage about how he ordered things to his ninjas. He knew that once the Spearhead group had finished their mission there, the old man would quickly relieve them from the place and send another group to continue the mission. Even though how much hard the Tsuchikage's mission often were, the kage made sure that his ninja deserved a rest period that equaled the toughness of their job.

"Estimation of success in attempting to capture the middle ring," Naruto sounded like a full-blown military officer.

"A hundred percent, Naruto-san." The ninja answered proudly. "We've only sent half of Spearhead Team, which, all in all, comprises of ten groups. We are assuming that the remaining group is sufficient enough to handle the enemies in the middle ring. Although…" the ninja's voice lost over his trail, his muffled words became inaudible to Naruto's ear.

"What is that?"

"We are not sure if we're still capable of venturing into the inner ring," the man confessed. He shot his black orbs towards Naruto, trying to make out something from the blonde's expression. "I know we can if we try, but I am not sure if we are going to be successful in the end."

"I understand," Naruto answered, surprising the ninja. The latter tried to observe the figure of the blond, waiting for some more words that would condemn their inability to continue with great success. It was often embarrassing for an Iwa-nin to be admitting some sort of failure to others, and that type of attitude merited reprimand from the more capable ninja. Well, Naruto didn't seem to put great issue over what he said. "Spearhead group had done so much in mission, especially contributing to Canyon group – the one assigned to face the large columns of reinforcement from Taki. From what I heard before I left for here, the Canyon's group mission is a success, thanks to your group for halting more reinforcements to arrive. Takigakure ninjas who attacked Canyon group surrendered after being defeated."

"We appreciate the gratitude." The ninja answered. "All what we are doing is for the sake of Iwagakure."

Naruto nodded. He was indeed doing it for the safety of the people of Iwa, and he would dare traverse the hellish fires of hell itself in order to protect the village that accepted him as a person.

**

* * *

**

Naruto was walking silently through the middle ring, not sacrificing his preparedness for the speed he could have just chosen to finish the mission in a quick manner. No, he'd decided from the moment he reached the village that he would prefer vigilance than hastiness – he was running low in chakra, and he was determined into saving it for later use. After all, the ninja of the Spearhead group had assured him that the middle ring would be cleaned off the enemy ninjas. He was also unhurried with the current mission, for he trusted the Tsuchikage amongst the Iwagakure ninja ranks than anyone else – when Ōnoki told him that the large Takigakure reinforcement forces was forced to submission, then it must be the truth. Now that he knew the enemy would not be causing further trouble, he was taking some small steps at a time, preserving his energy and thinking of the next steps as well. He lacked some important information; Naruto identified that problem as well, not permitting him to make some quite judgment of the situation. He could not assume, unlike Spearhead group, since he didn't have the necessary information. He was walking blind and damn Takigakure for that. He suddenly chuckled, after remembering the mission assigned to him – he was to discover the _unknown _reason of the entire ruckus the Hidden Waterfall Village caused.

Before assigning the ninjas into some different tasks, Naruto relayed to them that Konoha ninjas had also breeched the village, and they might as well be tracking the center of the place, both of them having the same goal – destroy the head of the monster that caused the once peaceful village of Takigakure to usurp chaos in its grasp. Spearhead group, together with Team Obsidian, were actually excited about the thoughts of pounding into dust some leaf ninjas, but they were quickly dismayed when he shared them that Ōnoki ordered not to engage any of them. Since he explained that Iwagakure wouldn't want to risk another war, it was instead a better idea to remain neutral to Konoha. But, of course, Naruto would tell differently. He'd told them not to attack leaf ninjas, but he asked them to defend themselves when Konoha rendered them hostile – he would make sure that it would be Konoha be pushed out of the bargain, for Iwa to remain as _blameless _as possible.

When the briefing was completed, Naruto quickly assigned ninjas to quickly perform some goals. He'd asked the remaining Spearhead group ninja to defend the already cleared outer ring of the enemy, although letting Konoha slip from their deadly patrols.

According to the Spearhead, the _real _paths towards the middle ring from the outer ring were the two roads that were located in the cardinal north and the cardinal south – the rest of the paths that were present along the outer ring were all fraud already. With that, he asked Team Obsidian to use the one in the north, while he himself would take the south one. Upon reaching the middle ring, another thought came into his mind, the same ninja he'd talked to lately appearing in his imaginative realm. After being able to enter the middle ring, the real _ways _to go further into the inner ring was the paths that were located in the cardinal east and west. This was also discussed by Naruto to Obsidian – he'd take the eastern path while Team Obsidian, coming from the north, would take the western one.

With that, he went into the inner ring at a slower pace, now mustering himself an armor of attentiveness to the surrounding, in preparation from more attacks. He kept on observing the structures, trying to be aware of some unseen presence that could be hiding, for him to break the element of surprise. But as he continued his steps deeper into the place, Naruto felt something different in the location, as if he'd experienced the same thing before. He shuddered from the feeling, since it was uncomfortable and awkward. Because of that, his senses began to fade away as his adrenaline started to surge, fearing some hostility lingering in the place. He quickly pulled out a kunai, using his right hand to grasp the weapon. Trying to keep the pressure down, Naruto took a deep breath, while he tried to conceal himself in the shadows that clustered along the brick walls that were poorly illuminated. He started to slowly move backwards, trying to reach out the shadows behind him. Not realizing that he was nearing to the wall behind, Naruto continued to budge. He was too late to realize that he'd hit something, after only when a clicking followed by a rumbling sound resonated from the wall.

Naruto jumped away from the concrete wall, taking hold of his kunai tightly. Cursing in his thoughts, the blond continued to observe some changes, until finally being taken aback when the wall suddenly shifted. It gradually opened up, sliding to side as if it was being conjugated by another wall. When the whole thing stopped moving, Naruto swore he'd jumped like a kid in surprise. Before he could speak, a person behind some prison bars stared at his visage indifferently. After some seconds of trying to figure out who he was, the blond was almost deafened when the man shouted his name, "Naruto!"

"Shibuki," Naruto replied coolly, stating the name of the other one as if he'd known him for eternity. Deep inside, Naruto was nervous. He'd never expected another person to recognize him, after he vowed that he would not let himself be seen by people who knew him. He ventured inside Takigakure knowing that there weren't too many people who knew him there, and he could easily perform a henge whenever he saw some old acquaintance. But he didn't expect Shibuki's appearance there, and much more that _he _was the one who'd discovered him there.

Yet for now he'd try to forget that Shibuki recognized him and his plan for hiding totally was screwed, since there was still a larger problem at hand. "What is happening?" He quickly asked, and his voice was quickly tainted by a tone of accusation. "How dare Takigakure threaten the safety of the people?" He was clearly trying to charge Shibuki, since from the beginning he thought that it was the man who could only lead Takigakure – he was a man loved by the village, and for sure he was the one they followed.

"Naruto," Shibuki said, his face masked with a pained expression, "you must know the truth."

"What truth?" Naruto flashed his anger. "That you tried to engage in war and you are willing to menace _innocent _lives?"

"Naruto!" Shibuki yelled. "How the hell do you think I can do that?!" He went closer to the blond, only for him to be blocked by the metal bars. "How do you think I can do such when I'm here?! Being caged as a prisoner in my own village…?!" He said, eyes stung in the formation of tears.

It hit Naruto. How dare he missed that that _big _point? Indeed, Shibuki was being restrained inside some jail bars, the man looking rubbish and weak. Whatever happened to him, it deserved some explanations, and Naruto knew it was the time that he must know the whole truth behind the Takigakure mystery that appeared to him in an instant.

"What happened to you?" Naruto asked, pondering as the question was thrown, his mind remembering that the man was a coward that turned out to be the leader of Takigakure itself. The people loved him, and the man had proven that he was willing to sacrifice himself to reciprocate the affection being given by his fellow villagers.

"I'll tell you, even though it is a long story." Shibuki said, grabbing the bars again. "But you must know that I have nothing to do with this, as well as the greater population of Takigakure. Everyone is innocent; I tell you! They must not be hurt!" He almost shouted.

"Calm down, Shibuki," Naruto said, his tone sounding… _dangerous_. "We'll sort this out easily if we do this the calm way."

"Alright," Shibuki nodded, pulling his hands out of the cold metal. He bowed his head for a while, pondering shortly. He then raised his head, putting determined but afraid eyes towards Naruto.

"Kakuzu. It was Akatsuki. Kakuzu took the village for himself, and started this _chaos_."

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

I don't really know what to say, but I know you've already gathered your kunais and shurikens to use me as a target dummy. Sad to say, this is indeed a **cliffhanger**.

Thanks again for reading!


	18. The Village Facade

**Author's Note: **Ugh... I got nothing to say for now... I want my friends to have some FanFiction accounts of their own...

**Message: Thank you **for continuously reading this FanFic; I'm really happy when those traffic numbers go up.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 17 – The Village Façade**

The walls of Takigakure had been breached, and no one from the leaders of the village was bothered by the reports that came from random ninjas plopping down the room. Probably, no one would ever feel the urge to do something about it – there was nothing to be done, since Takigakure had no real _authoritative _leader at all. In fact, Takigakure was bound to orders being pronounced by an unknown leader, a person that no one from the villagers had ever dared trying to know. Everyone in the forsaken village was inclined into some destiny that had smitten them discretely, and one person was the originator behind it.

Green irises stared from the tall tower, trying to figure out the location of the enemy ninjas that were said to have invaded the village. _Interesting_, he thought, thinking of the possible strategies that he could use for the moment. Being in a tower of raw coldness, the man felt the weight of bleakness weighing down to him. Even though it was unusual for him to have some unfitting feelings, the ninja decided to let it pass, since nobody would know about his little imagination. Surveying the area wasn't that difficult; he just needed to let his eyes drift into arbitrary locations. But there was something beyond the gazes that he just threw around, something that wasn't to be undermined because he was acting a little bit dazed. The person let his mind calculate every feasible move that he could use, using the little time available to him.

If his assumption was correct, then the two villages that waged war unto them sent some of their aces to take down the leader of Takigakure.

Actually, he never had the time to get things right when the surprises started kicking in. From the beginning, he was made aware that the risk for doing something great, such as declaring war to another ninja village, would always include some things that were difficult to handle. But that he had made himself prepared, using the time that was made available to him, looking through the gaps and holes in the plans being created. For him, it would not hurt to wait and watch, for him to decipher the weakness of everything they created. It was indeed harder to be careful than to be rash, but such patience would be rewarded with some grand things if played well. And the man would risk every time he could spare just to make sure that all things would go fine. After all, too much _money _was involved here that it had motivated him to do things that he really didn't do in normal periods of his life. Assuming that he had a normal life though.

Time was a well-spent thing. But money was another matter. There were just some things in life that couldn't be valued in comparison with another, and that merited his attention since he had a thing – a _passion_, or _addiction_ perhaps – that he valued more than anything else in the world – _money_, the lucrative thing that could poison one's mind with no pain at all. It was true; money was a mind-threatening object – even at thought – that could deter one's sanity. Money was a silent bargainer, a soundless god that offered many things to people who _unworldly _knew its value. It was an unspoken mind in different forms – in paper, coins, or _gold_ – that projected its will through the sheer countenance of its pragmatic worth. It was hand that tickled the minds of the people, trying to play an imaginative streak of comfort into the very thoughts of man. It was a quiet horror that instilled itself into the wills of others, making it an immovable will by itself. It was a thing that controlled people into nothingness, since it was the very thing that most of the people craved for, an addiction for the thing that bought the world to suffer into some unimaginable sufferings. It was an evil in itself… or was it a neutral thing that was only deemed bad by human nature alone?

On how many different people looked at it, Kakuzu would not mind them. For him, money was something that essentially ran the whole world. It would be correct to assume that money was _circulating_ around the world, but he prided himself for being the only one to believe that the world actually _revolved _around money. He knew the true value of money, and the greatest profit was the greatest manifestation of true pleasure. He was inclined to believe that everything was defined by the value of _financial _work, and so he would always choose to do things that would give him the highest amount of revenue. Money was the only real thing in the world, and he deeply depended on it since he knew it was the only dependable thing in the world. Unless a deed would not let him gain anything, better he be damned by sloth itself – why would he risk himself in something that would not give anything in return? Well, he was a man who'd rather want to make sure of things, and making that a bargain was profitable was the downside of his nature. Too bad that he seemed to have been compulsive about it. Note taken: _very_.

But being overlooked seemed to be part of the deal. There had been some people he'd _crushed _in the past and some still living that was luckily not _partnered _with him that said that it was an empty obsession of him to be engorged with money. For many, he was a money-obsessed freak that was finally delusional, finding a god from the crisp papers. Well, now that he was thinking of it, money seemed to have been a law written in paper itself – the mighty piece of value projecting some aura of power and authority. If everybody had the sense for money, then everyone should have known the supremacy that could be found from them. People tried to do conquering the world in different ways. And Kakuzu had his own – that was why he'd want to tell it and rub it in the face of most people to 'fuck off and leave him with his devices alone'. Why do many people wanted to question his deeds? He deeply knew that all of them were pretentious; who could deny the power of money?! Money is good, and so he would make sure he had a lot of money.

After all, if money _did _run the whole world, then he could control it if he had the greatest wealth, right?

He being in Takigakure was some other matter intertwined in his mission of finding great profit. In fact, he had questioned himself why he'd accepted the task, since it was pretty obvious that it would just be a waste of time and there wasn't something to gain in there. But the reason why he continued to accept the assignment? Because his leader said it so.

_It had been years since the whole Akatsuki met in person. Kakuzu slipped into the shadowy void of the building, watching every people that were included in their secret organization. Sometimes, he knew it was best to scan the faces of the most powerful missing-ninjas in the ninja world, since he couldn't afford to lose information from some of these people. There was already a plot being formed in his mind – because there would come a time that one of these people could die, and he would be there to fetch the bodies. How fortune he would make if he'd present the bodies into the proper authorities._

_Slowly, the people started to group in the middle, upon the arrival of another cloaked figure, accompanied by the only female member of the Akatsuki._

"_It's good to see everyone here," the newcomer said – their leader._

"_Bah!" Someone from the group quickly spoke up. "You bastards just don't know to fuckin' choose the right time eh? I'm on my way on performing my offering to Jashin-sama!"_

_Kakuzu glared at the man, clearly annoyed by the loud outburst. Actually, he wouldn't mind him being so loud and annoying, but the name 'Jashin' would always escape his mouth, and that was the thing that Kakuzu hated to hear. Whenever he was near that man, he would suddenly be barraged by religious euphoria that only annoyed him deeper. And the worst part was he got to be preached by some maniac hypocrite whose mouth was so full of rudeness and discourteousness. His mouth was so foul that it had become a nexus of unnerving words and babblings that usually disrupt his calm and stoic features. If everyone from the religion the noisy guy preached were like him, he swore he'd be found deep under the ground, two kilometers from the surface of the world._

"_Stop swearing in front of the lady, Hidan." The odd voice of a very tall ninja with some gills was still laced with the sound that was tuned between snicker and amusement. "And keep your mouth shut before our leader." He looked beside him, eyeing the smaller one that was his partner. "What do you say, Itachi-san? It must be better he remain silent, ne?"_

_No answer from the Uchiha. And Hoshikage Kisame noted it as the normal response._

"_We do not have time for this rumblings," A venus flytrap that looked like a man started to speak. "_Or do you want to this the hard way again?" _He was still the one speaking, but the voice suddenly differentiated another entity._

"_We just need to get over this, un?" A blond ninja interrupted the talk. "So what's the important thing this time?"_

"_It has been noted that the growing alliance between Suna and Konoha is beginning to form some inconvenience to our side." The leader spoke, quickly silencing some other voice that mumbled inside the room. "It is likely that if the alliance is to go stronger, we will have a harder time in capturing some jinchuuriki in their territories."_

"_But progression into a mutual protection treaty is still a distant event," Kakuzu said, trying to point out that the worrisome thing that bothered their leader was still non-existent. "If we want to avoid the possibility of that happening, then we should strike now."_

"_I disagree with that," a loud and deep voice opposed to what Kakuzu proposed. "My spies have reported that the other villages were notified about the problems caused by Otogakure and Sunagakure. It is possible that the other kages have been aware of the 'jinchuuriki matter' that happened between Konoha and Suna. I am positive that if the kages and villages know of this, then the issue about the other jinchuurikis will be a priority to them." Sasori told Kakuzu. "You know how touchy people sometimes are about the jinchuurikis, and we don't want to make some more problems for us to handle."_

"_What do you propose then?"_

"_I say we wait until things settle down for a bit,"_

"_But won't that make our tasks tougher, Sasori no danna, un?"_

"_It's a risk that we can carry, because acting now would only turn the attention of the kages unto us. Even though Konoha and Suna have been weakened by their war, it's still best for us to remain passive. We can also think of better ideas in the long run." Sasori explained._

"_We've also thought something for that," the leader spoke again, attracting the attention of the whole Akatsuki. "For now, lying low would be the best for us, since we're still hot in some village's eyes. But then there must be something that will distract them from tailing us." He told them, earning him the curious expressions of the whole group. "We need to lose them from our tail, and for that we need something big."_

"_Leader, what you are trying to say is not something simple," Sasori said – perceptive, as he always was._

"_Correct," He quickly answered. "For that, I need someone to do the distraction for us." He started to walk, his features not changing a bit as he switched his gazes among the Akatsuki members. He suddenly stopped when he finally reached the location of the second tallest member of the Akatsuki. The leader's eyes looked deeply at the eyes of the ninja, noticing the green irises and the red sclera. "Kakuzu, I need you for this task."_

_Kakuzu, trained to perfection into the art of hiding his surprise, stared emotionlessly back at his leader, lots of question etched in his face. "What do you plan, leader?"_

"_I want Takigakure to be captured," the leader answered shortly._

_Kakuzu grunted upon hearing the name. How he disliked hearing that stupid village's name. His chakra flared wildly, and then faltered shortly upon realizing that he was together with the other Akatsuki members – showing rage in the place was for him inappropriate. "But what do you want about Hidden Waterfall Village?"_

"_Simple. Takigakure will provide the distraction."_

"_And you want me to do it?"_

"_Kakuzu, if you worry about not having some profit about this one, just think about how much you can ransack when you attack another ninja village." The leader tempted him._

_And Kakuzu took the bait._

**

* * *

**

"It was almost three years ago when we were invaded by a certain man." Shibuki started to recount, Naruto sitting far away from the man, his eyes continuing to observe the speaker. "That man – I know him – is Kakuzu, since he came from Takigakure as well, before he was banished because of failing in a mission." Shibuki – affectionately called 'Takikage' by his fellow villagers – said, his eyes looking sad when he said that part.

"He was alone but you were defeated," Naruto said. From Shibuki's own interpretation, the statement was supposed to be a question. But, due to the fact that Takigakure had been different now, it was rather changed into a statement of fact than a question.

"We were surprised, Naruto." Shibuki said, shifting his position so that he could have a better view of the blond. "We couldn't just expect to see a man still living through almost four generations of ninja already."

"What do you mean?"

"Kakuzu is already old." Shibuki said. "Actually, far too old to continue to be a ninja. You know, the mission which he failed involved slaying Hashirama Senju, Konoha's Shodaime Hokage. You can just imagine how old he is now." The man told Naruto, slightly curious at the fact that the blond didn't know it through his own village's history.

"That is indeed old…" Naruto could only say, his face clearly showing that he was in awe. "But you could have at least stopped him. It was one village against one man, wasn't it?"

"You don't understand, Naruto." Shibuki replied defensively. "We could have given our best to stop him, but it isn't everyday that you got to see a missing-nin that surprisingly came from your village." He looked at Naruto, his eyes flashing some mixed emotions of disappointment and defeat. "And he returned with him using our village's secret. There was simply no way for us to stop him."

"And why is that? If it's your village secret, than you should know better of how to fight with him, right?"

"The village's secret justu… he took it away after he slew our leaders back then. He took them all, and so no one from the present generation knew how to use it, or how to even counter it if possible encounter with this jutsu arises." Shibuki explained. "He's power… is terrible. He has the capability to truly destroy the village if he really wants to." He continued to speak, cuddling his knees tighter to his body. "I tried to fight him, but I am clearly outmatched. Even if we try to against him together, his sheer strength and unimaginative speed are both his strengths. There was just no way back then to fight him."

"And you surrendered?"

"Naruto, I value the life of my people than the existence of the village. Takigakure is valueless after all, but because of the people living in it, I feel responsible for it. But there is such times that you really need to give much weight into the continuation of life than the survival of a mere village." Shibuki explained, his eyes gleaming with hurt and determination. "It is better for me to endure humiliation than for me to see the death of the villagers in his hand. I don't want to see the lives of my ninjas being cut one by one, because of our already futile attempt to stop him. It is better for me to suffer than to know that your villagers had been slaughter because of the belief that they could withstand the powerful enemy." He smiled weakly. "I believe that my ego isn't as worthy as any life in my village."

"You can do something!" Naruto said. "The people believe in you!"

"If I can, then I should have done it a long time ago." Shibuki answered. "But I can't, and I can never be."

"You need to," Naruto said, his hands forming fist, some disappointment drawing in his face. "Don't you know that Takigakure had just suffered some major losses because of a war that they are sent into?" Shibuki's eyes widened in surprise. "Do you know how it feels if you are sent into a battle wherein you don't know what is the point on all of it?" Naruto asked, looking desperately at Shibuki. "Your people are suffering."

"I don't know about that…" Shibuki gasped.

"Then you must; this Kakuzu guy declared war against Kusagakure, and with his goals still unknown by most of the people." Naruto said, his eyes determined as his own imagination made up a scenery in his mind. "To tell you the truth, Takigakure has been hard-pressed in this pointless war, and your people are taking a lot of casualties." The blond stood from sitting position, moving nearer to where Shibuki was. He eyed him, icy glares quickly pierced Shibuki's feelings. "You aren't there when your people need you the most. If you really love your village, you should have done something!"

"I told you; I surrendered to preserve their lives!"

Naruto yanked Shibuki by clutching his prisoner shirt. "That does not even help! By surrendering, you deemed the life of your fellow villagers useless! Don't you understand? When you surrendered, you only _prolonged _their sufferings!"

"I am nothing, Naruto! I can never protect my own people like what you can do! I am nothing in comparison to you…" Shibuki turned his head away, his own humiliation letting him remember his old days of cowardice, of not being able to do something. Now, Naruto was simply rubbing salt into his wound, and the news of knowing that his own village was suffering because of his failure suddenly started to haunt him. "I wish I could do something… And I'm ready to sell my soul just to save my people!"

"Very well," Naruto said in a soft voice, slowly releasing Shibuki from his grasp. Smiling gently, he looked at him with his cerulean and kind eyes, the one he would usually present when he wanted to help somebody. Naruto moved leisurely away from Shibuki, peeking into the road to check on something. After knowing that there still wasn't anything to be worried about, Naruto paced back, the smile still on his lips. "I will help in fighting Kakuzu." He declared.

Shibuki smiled genuinely in the first time in almost three years.

**

* * *

**

"Come on, you _bitches _and _bitch_!" Sumi yelled, looking sarcastically at the enemies in front of them. The young woman was having another round of her hyped mode, and her teammates were looking at her with staunched looks and curious gazes.

"Sumi-chan, did you just say…" Nebi started talking, his eyes very wide because of surprise.

"…_b-i-t-c-h_?" Moko continued the question for Nebi, he himself having the most surprising moment in his life.

"Yeah…" Sumi asked. "Why?"

"Nothing." Both Nebi and Moko shook their heads, disbelief clouding their minds. When did Sumi started to learn those kinds of words? Never in their whole life had they heard their only woman teammate using those terms, and never would they expect her to learn that vulgarity. In Iwagakure, it was one form of disrespect. And being disrespectful while in the Hidden Rock Village could only be rewarded with punishment. Grave ones.

"Hey! Aren't they from Konoha?" Moko suddenly relaxed from his stance, when the final realization dawned into him. The young man looked observantly at the figures standing in their way. "They're many!"

"I know, Moko-kun… And haven't you noticed their forehead protectors as soon as you've seen them?" Nebi had the urged to slap his forehead. Yes, their team had been a concoction of very uniquely different people, something their senpai called as 'diverse and special'. When Sasuke appeared – _reappeared_ – into their blonde's life, the raven called it 'weird'. "But we're not supposed to engage them."

"From their looks, it seemed that this group is determined to wipe us out too." Sumi said, staying nearer beside Nebi.

"But I thought that Tsuchikage-sama sent a message to Konoha saying that we wouldn't do any harm into their ninja?" Moko asked, now noticing that the other two was having one of their formations. He moved slowly, going nearer to the free side of Nebi.

"It's a possibility that this group was sent ahead before they were able to receive the message." Nebi calmly talked, rummaging through his mind some ideas about an excuse. "And the seclusion of Takigakure isn't helping to update their orders."

"Yeah, and Sumi taunting them lately have made them think we're challenging them." Moko grinned. "What're we going to do, Nebi?"

"Let's wait for them to attack," He answered, eyeing the older one, silently expressing 'I-though-you-are-the-leader' look. "We must follow what our senpai told us."

"Yatta! It's three versus ten then!" Sumi yelled.

**. . .**

"Ha!" The girl from the group Iwa screeched. "You hit like a girl!"

_I am a girl!_ Sakura yelled in her mind, silently cursing the feminine imp that was challenging her and the _other _two women in their group. She hissed, after her fist missed the agile ninja that was just evading her every move. "Now, Tenten!"

Tenten jumped higher than her normal one, opening her large scroll. Ten kunais suddenly appeared from the scroll, going towards the direction of the woman who jumped out of Sakura's harmful fist. She was still in mid-air when Tenten made the attack, so she was sure that the woman would have no grounds to make another evasive maneuver.

"Well, nice one!" The woman shouted again, revealing a kunai in her hand. She threw the kunai precisely away from Tenten, but to the direction of the kunais. When her kunai took the first hit, it took with it four more because the first clash threw in into the trajectory of the others; thus, disrupting the other weapons in its path. Another kunai was revealed in her hand, slashing the kunais effectively in a straight manner, a swift movement taking out Tenten's weapons. It seemed that she didn't have the hard time in displacing the weapon out of her way, as if she'd seen the exact path of the blades and made a maneuver to counter them. She finally reached the ground, making contact with it and forming another stance. "Whew!"

Tenten was taken aback with the display of flexibility and weapon proficiency. To be able to predict the exact trajectory and speed of the weapons… that was the only way for to have deflected her attack. And it wasn't a very easy task to do, unless the performer was a weapons master as well.

"Water Release: Hand of Waves!" She performed a ninjutsu and quickly pointed it to Sakura's direction. A jet of water quickly sprouted from her hands, and it quickly turned towards the target.

"She's good," Sakura commented, jumping out of the way, only for the attacker to move her hands and following the spot where she would go. "And persistent as well," she hushed, still trying to parkour along the crates that were scattered along the road. She dashed, still able to evade the water. Finally reaching the woman whose name was Sumi, Sakura pumped the right amount of chakra into her fist. "Take this!" She announced, throwing a punch towards Sumi.

The enemy quickly evaded, letting the fist make contact into the concrete road itself. The former stared in wonder, upon seeing Sakura destroy the ground with her physical prowess. "Nebi-kun, _earth_!" She shouted and darted her fingers at the crater where the concrete once belonged.

She turned her attention to the silver-haired man, only for her to lately realize that Tenten threw another round of weapons towards her. She bended in mid-air, missing by hair-breadth a shuriken that was aimed in her heart, and making another mental preparation for another attack. She then twisted, getting another kunai in her pouch. She moved again in such finesse that she was still able to take out the set of weapons, clanging metal to the floor signifying the disablement of the metal weapons.

Now, even before she could take the moment to make another stable form in the floor, she was already being watched by the pink-haired ninja, her fist already prepared to hit her. Sumi knew that once she was arm distance away from her, it would be a terrible defeat under those destructing hands.

"Earth Release: Earth Pillar Prison!" A voice from the other side of the road sounded, attracting the attention of Sakura for a while. She was too astounded when she finally understood that she was the target of the attack; she was the only one stepping over the crater of her previous attack. The ground started to rumble when rock pillars shot up from the ground, quickly surrounding her in a fast but calculated manner.

"Gatsūga!" The voice of Kiba thundered, his drilling form suddenly piercing through the rock pillar formation. The earth jutsu shattered under the force of the attack, quickly being destroyed since its physical characteristic was the most important of its use.

"Thank you, Kiba." Sakura addressed the ninja, even though her eyes were focusing at the woman who was smiling oddly after the attack.

Yamato, from afar, clasped his hands together, summoning wood from the exact crater that Sakura created. It was moving towards the silver-haired man, who was kneeling on the ground and was just intently looking at the attack. Even before the wood was two steps away from the young man, an earth wall stopped the attack of wood.

"Earth Release: Swamp of the Underworld!" Sumi cast the ninjutsu after performing the necessary hand seals. She quickly withdrew from her position when three thuds of kunai sounded near her. She took another kunai and disappeared in sight.

The ninjutsu the woman cast was targeted to the ones standing over the crater of earth, a swamp suddenly appearing beneath the poor ninjas. It began to swallow Sakura and Kiba, who were too stunned to evade the attack. Slowly, they felt that the swamp was getting deeper and deeper; it first immobilized them, but they knew it would eventually drown them if the scenario was to continue.

A tree suddenly appeared in the center of the swamp. "Sakura, Kiba! Get to the tree immediately and out of there now!"

After Yamato created the tree, someone punched him from behind, sending him off-balance and landing on the concrete floor. He quickly rolled after knowing that a foot was to follow the punch, and he was lucky that he wasn't squashed by the follow-up attack. He looked at the attacker, a very young man looking at him with interested eyes.

"Your jutsu… it's unique," the man made his point before he raised his left hand when he defended himself from the attack made by Neji. He turned his head towards the Hyuuga, smiling at him when he didn't flinch at his sight. "So you really want to be pounded, huh?" The man asked – probably the one they called 'Moko' – his smiles widening into a full grin. "Then I'll give it to you!"

In movements faster than the eyes could see, Moko was able to take grasp of Neji's hand. Not giving the younger one the chance to make an escape, he used his left hand to punch the struggling figure of Neji. The latter took the hit, and he discerned it was far painful than his tenketsu-specific Gentle Fist. He took another beating from Moko, when the man's foot collided with his stomach. Neji felt so defeated. He knew he could easily escape such hold of him, but there was something that made him weaker in the sight of his enemy. _Maybe…_

Neji poured some chakra into his hand, making it volatile against some unaware ninja. Moko suddenly pulled out from holding Neji, looking at his hand as if the young man had done something so painful and dangerous. Moko looked surprised back the Hyuuga, when he suddenly chuckled that startled Neji.

"Ah, your chakra in the openings of your hand turned into some needle-like projections that, I think, were intended to target my own chakra points." Moko started to talk. "Yet…" Moko made another stream of chakra flow into his body, making it sure that his hand would receive more amounts. "I'm not injured. You see, I have this 'Stone Armor' protecting me."

Neji looked aghast at the man, finally realizing that it was the armor that made him so vulnerable against the enemy. Now that he knew what made Moko strong, Neji started to make some plans to have an advantage. "But then you should realize that in Taijutsu, lesson no. 1 states that you must never let your opponent get in your back." A voice shocked Neji that made him do a poor reflex-reaction. He was hit at the nape, exactly at the location surrounding the bony prominence in there. After taking the hit, Neji passed out.

It took the whole attention of the whole Konoha group to see that the Hyuuga progeny was defeated by Iwa-nins in a very short amount of time. "How…?" A female voice sounded doubtful.

"Well, hitting him at some nerve points behind his head will really make him unconscious." Moko answered, not getting why the ninjas from Konoha didn't know that fact.

"He's got eyes that can sense everything around him; you couldn't have gone behind him as simple as that!" Kiba finally dropped from the tree, quickly going in front of Yamato and placing himself in an assault position against Moko.

"Ah… Well, someone's backing me up with genjutsu… maybe that deceived him." Moko smiled, "Right, Nebi-_chan_?"

Suddenly, the ground beneath them suddenly formed ripples that only happened in water – two hands shot up from it and grabbed the feet of Yamato and Kiba. They were dragged down the earth, only leaving their head jutting out from the ground. The person who made the attack appeared from the ground, the silver-haired young man looking at the targets disdainfully. After one second, he repositioned himself and pulled out to kunais in his pouch, one kunai in both hands. He knelt on one knee between Yamato and Kiba's head, looking warily at the shadowed portion of the road.

"You, _ponytail_, I know you're hiding there." He said aloud.

Shikamaru appeared from the place, his face plastered with seriousness and not the normal laziness he had. "It's a drag that you discovered me."

"I've been following you around when our fight started." He said, eyeing the blond woman standing behind Shikamaru. "And it seemed you are planning something as you hide yourself."

Two more bodies appeared from the shadows – it was Tenten carrying the unconscious body of Sumi.

"I brought your teammate with you," Shikamaru said. "Shino, Hinata, thank you for helping me take down the woman. She's as ferocious as an alpha male in a tiger pack." He added, "Women are troublesome."

"And what do you propose?" Nebi asked, putting the kunais closer to the heads of his two prisoners.

"You're still outnumbered." Shikamaru started. "And you must––" the teen stopped speaking when he felt the cold and clammy hands of Ino around his neck, a kunai already pointed at one of his jugular veins.

"I told you I am following you all along…" Nebi said.

Ino was suddenly covered by a cloud of smoke, and was replaced by the same image of Nebi who was still placing the kunai near Shikamaru's neck. "A clone?" Shikamaru said.

"Hn." Nebi just shrugged. "Now, are we still talking yet? Or do you want to lose _three _lives at the same moment?"

"I don't think so…" Shikamaru said, and the clone holding him was dispelled when Sumi's body appeared beside the thin and ponytailed young man. "I've not played all my cards, you know?"

"Sumi…" Nebi gasped when he saw his own teammate help their enemy. "What are you doing?"

"_Ino_," Shikamaru said flatly. "Thank you for saving me."

"That is part of the plan." Ino answered, as she continued to use Sumi's body. "Man, this body's fully stretched and trained well."

"You're using Sumi-chan's body?!" Moko hollered. "How dare you?!"

"Now," Shikamaru spoke again, his calculating gaze searing the other two ninjas in front of them. "Who's talking?"

"Ah…" Nebi muttered, and then smiled. "I guess we need to defeat you first before we can ask _Sasuke-san _to fight us again…"

The Konoha ninjas gasped in astonishment when Sasuke Uchiha's name was repeated for another time that day. Ino lost her concentration, her jutsu breaking up holding the body of the Iwa-nin Sumi. She was thrown back into her own mind, while Sumi's consciousness returned to herself. She quickly retreated to where Nebi and Moko were standing.

"Nebi-kun, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. Actually, you helped us here."

"Why?"

"We've _distracted _them already. Prepare yourselves; they'll not be able to stop us this time." Nebi grinned wider.

Thanks to Naruto-senpai and Sasuke-san's strange origins, he'd felt the idea that the information they held was enough for a distraction. Now, the whole Konoha group was trembling in confusion.

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

I've exceeded my maximum amount of words to be typed in one chapter [err, that's one of my patterns in writing].

Really, I'm excited about some parts soon to be posted.

Thank you for reading.

**REVIEW? Please...? Pretty please?**


	19. Crippling the Head

**Message: **I am very sorry for the very late update. There was just so many things to do. And I got indulge into writing my next storyline. Well, I'm excited.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 18 – Crippling the Head**

**2 hours before midnight**

"What is this?" Sasuke said, gritting his teeth in the sudden vexation that fell into his way. He counted twelve Takigakure ninjas staring at him intently, each of them having different levels of stares. Nonetheless, all of those gazes tore through him, as if their looks could kill him on his spot.

"Shut up, Sasuke." Naruto repeated. Sasuke flinched. The blond ninja was having some difference in his tone again, almost the same one he gave him when Team Obsidian confronted him. His voice was full of anger, as if he'd hidden it for a very long time – the collection of concealed rage had grown into something more violent.

"You're with Takigakure ninjas," Sasuke shared his observation. "Do I need to state the implication?" He quirked an eyebrow towards the blond, a wave of killing intent was sent to the latter.

"Always as perceptive as you are, Sasuke." Naruto said with a grin, malice clearly maintained in that gesture. "That's why I need to rid out of the problem before it's too late." He said, twirling a kunai in his fingers, playing it around his hands. Naruto's gaze rivaled Orochimaru's, "I knew I should have not brought you back to Iwa."

"Hn," Sasuke grunted. What is the blond saying?

"I'm long done with the silent replies and threats of yours, Sasuke." Naruto hissed. "The Naruto you knew died long ago." He motioned one of the Takigakure ninjas to go beside him. When the latter reached him, Naruto placed his mouth nearer to the ninja's ear and whispered something. This happened with Naruto's eyes not leaving Sasuke's form. The ninja nodded and left. The blond smirked again, "I should say – can I call this a moment for _retribution_?"

"So you are just like everybody else, Naruto," Sasuke said, challenging the other one into some verbal spar. His emotionless features suddenly turned colder, his eyes stinging those who met his.

"Why? Do you really believe that I _was _the type of person who would forsake my own self for the benefit of others?" Naruto spat, his eyes narrowing at the sight of Sasuke. "Uchiha, you don't know what it means to be _human_."

"A word from a person who had been treated _a monster _in more than half of his lifetime," Sasuke said, a silent spark lit his eyes to continue scrutinizing the blond. There was no going back; if Naruto wished to have some clarification of the mind, he would willingly drown the blond with his own thoughts.

Naruto smiled, which surprised Sasuke. "Why, Sasuke? Are you thinking that you can put me into some _idiotic _phase again?" He suddenly laughed, a dark chuckle covering the entirety of his voice. "Sasuke, I am not an _idiot _now. I'm actually glad that you clarified it to me; thanks for reminding me that the people always considered me a _monster_." He continued to laugh quietly. "But… geez, I can't believe that you indeed expect me to be hurt with your words." He glared back at Sasuke. "Things are different down here, Sasuke."

"Hn…" Sasuke could only grunt. "What do you want from me, Naruto?"

"I want you to be _silenced_… permanently." Naruto said, suddenly lunging into an attack towards Sasuke's direction. The blond revealed a kunai under his sleeve, grasping it tightly with his right hand. Naruto, with determined eyes, went directly towards Sasuke. In one second, Naruto suddenly appeared in front of the raven, a kunai ready to be swung against the other one's face.

Sasuke didn't look startled. Kunais screeched when Sasuke's own blocked Naruto's. With some added force, he tried to outmaneuver Naruto's kunai by forcing it down, letting the hand of Naruto follow the direction Sasuke intended to. When Naruto had an opening on his right side, Sasuke tried to use the spot and kick him with his left foot, targeting Naruto's neck. His foot stopped moving when a hand stopped it in its way.

Naruto blocked the attack with his free left hand, glaring daggers at Sasuke. He pushed the foot away, making sure that he would lose balance. When Sasuke was thrown minimally away through his shove, Naruto regained the control over his kunai on his right hand, trying to slash Sasuke's open side. Before the tip of his kunai reach Sasuke's clothes, the pale teen yanked himself down to the ground, escaping the deadly metal. He fell and supported himself with his hands, using it as a pivot for him to be able to use his feet to hit Naruto in his lower extremity. Sliding his feet laterally to hit a leg, Sasuke felt the sudden danger looming above him.

Not minding if his intended plan would be cut for that time, Sasuke quickly rolled away from Naruto. With the timely escape, Sasuke almost barely escaped the incoming Rasengan that was already speeding its way to his body. The attack hit the ground, making a fissure not larger than his body. The raven stood up, preparing his defense.

"I'm surprised that you are not sticking into some high-ranked jutsus," Naruto commented, looking at his enemy with some curiosity. "Or you're playing some game that I don't know?"

"I don't care about your babbles, Naruto." Sasuke said. The raven suddenly started to form some hand seals, which Naruto could follow even though how fast Sasuke did it.

Naruto smirked. As he expected, Sasuke would be using some fire jutsus. From the arrangement of the hand seals, he quickly discerned that it was the jutsu the Uchiha Clan was famous for, the 'Grand Fireball Technique'. Even though he had known that jutsu from memories, Naruto chose not to let his ego misjudge the attack. He felt that Sasuke would do something about the jutsu that could make it more powerful than normal. He didn't want to risk the chance of being defeated because of underestimation of the enemy.

When Sasuke finished his seals, Naruto knew he miscalculated. It was when Sasuke was to put his fingers in front of his mouth, some extraordinary thing happened. Instead of continuing into his jutsu, Sasuke began to smirk on his own. Naruto was staggered with the sudden expression. His contemplation never finished, he felt that his left arm exploded into a fiery concoction of blaze and heat.

It wasn't a raging fire, just an explosion that happened with no fire left to burn more of Naruto's arm. Naruto quickly scanned his arm, noticing that his sleeves were torn to shreds while his arm was smoking in char and bloodied portions. Pain was etched in his face, as he raised his head to meet Sasuke's visage. "You bastard…" A shooting pain triggered him to close one of his eyes. "You tricked me."

"You've become unpredictable, Naruto." Sasuke said, looking stoically at Naruto's arm. "I'm just playing safe." He went into a fighting stance, getting another kunai from his secret holster. "But it also seems that you underestimated me. You thought that I will use my fire techniques against you." He started to sprint towards Naruto, his kunai pointed at his enemy.

Naruto sensed the danger approaching him. He grabbed a kunai with his right hand, cursing as his left extremity had finally gone limp. He jumped upwards to parry his adversary, only to see that the raven was preparing another jutsu to hit him with. With sudden nervousness cloaking him from thinking straightly, Naruto focused his chakra to create a jutsu of himself, in defense against Sasuke's attack. "Blade of Wind!"

At the same moment, Sasuke was able to finish jutsu, multiple fire shots suddenly appearing from his hands. "_Exploding Flame Shot_!" The Uchiha didn't let Naruto escape his eyes.

_Kuso!_ Naruto cursed inside his mind. _Those flames are going to explode! When my wind jutsu hit those_ -- thunderous explosions ended Naruto's thought, as his whole body was consumed by another cloud of fire. After the relentless fire dissolved midair, a body plopped down to ground, smoke hissing from the bare flesh. The body tried to stand again, hands guarding some parts that were damaged with greater than minimal extent. Naruto stared back at Sasuke. He was reprimanding himself for using too much chakra when he fought with the Canyon Group in taking down the main force of Takigakure ninjas. He was trying to save more chakra, but his fight with Sasuke was going to cost him more. His eyes suddenly widened in a surprised realization. "You know I'm Wind type."

"Naruto, I can kill you without any difficulty." Sasuke said, the air emanating from him spoke much for his brief sentence. "You are weak. And I'm stronger."

"Then why didn't you protest when I _dragged _you to Iwagakure?" Naruto asked, holding the most damaged part of his body, his left hand that was immolated by flames. "If you knew I'm weak, then why didn't help yourself escape?"

"I need to get stronger." Sasuke answered. "I need more power to be able to defeat Itachi."

"You're still under your own delusions?!" Naruto shouted. "Sasuke, get over it now!"

"I told you before, you will never understand." Sasuke replied. "You never had someone before. You were alone from the beginning." He almost growled at Naruto, but choice to remain calm. "I had someone beside me, and then I lost them. You don't know how it feels to lose someone."

"Can't you think straight?!" Naruto yelled back. "What did you think I lost when I left Konoha?!" He said, tears suddenly pooling in his cerulean eyes. He winced when he felt the warm liquid filling his eyes, the long lost tears that he had oppressed since he left his home village. He never liked to have those tears again. He wanted to be strong, and those tears were the proof of the weakness he was trying to hide. He was well and alive, and he wanted to ask the time with his precious people back in Konoha, but he couldn't. He had the capabilities to see his people again, but now he couldn't. What was more painful than knowing you could do something but chose not to? "I lost baa-chan! I lost ero-sennin! I lost Iruka-sensei! Hell... I even lost Kakashi-sensei, even though he seemed not to have any regard for me." He said with his heart hurting. "Sakura-chan... Do you think it was easy to leave them when I'm perfectly alive?!"

"You told me that they helped in _killing _you."

"Sasuke, I am no _bastard _like you!" Naruto answered, a drop of tear finally falling from his eyes. "Even though I may not know the whole truth, I let my heart forgive them. The more that you don't know, the more you must _understand_. I was hurt when I wasn't helped, but I knew that I must find their reasons first myself. How can I be angry to the only people I considered precious?" He looked directly at Sasuke's eyes. "That is why I'm still living, Sasuke. I want to know the truth and I want to show them that I don't want to lose them. Unlike you..." He sobbed. "I am going to _forgive _them instead. Vengeance will not do you anything good! Your selfishness--" Naruto was cut off from speaking when his right arms suddenly exploded in the same manner his left hand was consumed by the flames.

"Shut up! Shut up!" Sasuke hissed. "You will never know the pain that I have! I need to be strong in order to avenge my clan!"

Naruto winced in pain, his right arm now failing as well. _Just how many exploding seals he had put into my body? _He asked himself, trying to scan his skin of those horrid markings.

"That is why I join you, Naruto." Sasuke finally regained his calm composure again. "If Orochimaru's knowledge and strength isn't enough, then I'm taking the last _chance _to get strong."

"What?"

"Your _death_."

"You've got to be kidding me." Naruto said, his eyes going wide in surprise.

"No, I am not." Sasuke said. "Great Fireball Technique!" The raven cast his jutsu, a huge ball of fire forming directly from his mouth. One the spherical blazing fire stabilized, it sped towards Naruto who was just looking at the fire shock.

Naruto was consumed by the fire once again, his whole body caught in the middle of the unmerciful flames. After being swallowed by the fire for seconds, a popping sound came out from the target point of the jutsu.

Sasuke turned his head slowly to the eleven remaining Takigakure ninjas in the place. He flashed his eyes to all of them, scanning their features with a very quick glance of murderous intent. "Naruto..." He sighed, as he put his hand in his temple, an action that he would rarely do. "Just drop the stupid henge and explain to me before I get your ass melt in hell."

After five seconds of silence, the loud laughter of the blond ninja resonated throughout the place, which made Sasuke's eyes twitch in annoyance.

"Sasuke," Naruto, who came out from nowhere, suddenly dropped and stood in front of Sasuke, a very stupid grin plastered in his face. "You should have seen the look in your face when you saw my clone together with these Takigakure ninjas! It was a legendary sight to behold!" With a curt nod to the Takigakure ninjas, all of them suddenly formed a particular hand seal, after which they were covered with smoke. When the wisp of whites suddenly vanished from sight, it revealed the same image - Naruto. "Now, my clones... You had your hilarity." All of them whined, and then 'poof'-ed out of existence.

"You... _pranked _me?" Sasuke asked, his tone priceless.

"You bet your ass, Sasuke!" Naruto yelled. "That was good, isn't it?!"

Sasuke was very thankful to the deities that he had been given with a gracious amount of patience and calmness. If he had let his anger consume him when he was fighting the clone Naruto, he could have killed the original on the spot.

"What was that about?"

"Just want to know your _motives_, Sasuke." Naruto suddenly went into a serious tone. "I don't want some people with hidden goals be wandering about Iwa, unfortunately."

"You did all that just to know my goals?" Sasuke asked in disbelief.

"It was effective, isn't it?" Naruto reasoned. "And I was able to know your ultimate motive..." He said, his voice lowering. "My death, huh?"

"Hn."

"There you go again." Naruto said in a dim tone. "We're not in Konoha anymore, so you don't need to be so smug."

"Whatever," Sasuke replied. "If I hadn't detected your _original_ presence here, then I could have been swayed to believe that the Naruto I was fighting lately was the real one."

"Just part of the act," Naruto said, seriousness suddenly loomed in his face. "Since you are here, I think you're ready for the next part of your mission." The blond smirked weakly. "And I have something to give you."

**

* * *

**

**04:00AM, two hours before sunrise**

"_Fuck_ you!" The voice of the murderous Akatsuki member sounded in the large hall of the central tower, his opponent becoming obviously irritated by the irate and loudmouthed person. The dimness of the room were no match against the flickers of weapons that hit each other, the sparks of hitting metals lighting up the place in a dance of death and curses.

"Hn." The opponent just shrugged another rude statement, as he swung his katana towards the open cloak of his enemy.

His katana was halted promptly, a triple-bladed scythe receiving the attack from the raven-haired ninja. Being caught in the middle of the scythe's teeth, the katana was maneuvered as it was yanked down, outbalancing the owner of the blade as it loosened in his grip. Knowing that he would not stand against an assault from the huge weapon without his katana, the man jumped away, back flipping so he could at least caught a last glimpse on where his adversary was standing.

"You weakling piece!" The Akatsuki member spat again, a hint of snicker washing his words. "Why don't you fight me now, huh?" He smiled devilishly. "Oh, I forgot. I have your butter knife with me." He sighed. "May Jashin-sama forgive me for fighting a kid who uses a butter knife."

Sasuke stood annoyed by the loud babbles the man was giving. He was even worse than Naruto – at least the latter was tolerable and not so foul-mouthed. But even though how much noisy his enemy was, he knew it wasn't a simple opponent to be trifled with. He had been combating him with pure sword alone for five minutes now, and his enemy seemed not to use any particular jutsu to help him win the fight. The huge triple-bladed scythe was a fearful weapon to see, but Sasuke had noticed that its sheer sized had already caused his enemy some toll in moving in a quicker speed. It was an advantage for him, but he had also noted the agility the man was showing him. Damn, that was ironic. He was slow yet he was so agile.

Now that he had his preliminary observation of the enemies capability, Sasuke knew he had to change tactics now. He threw some shuriken towards his enemy, the ones that he kept at the sealing-wrist band he wore. It was a good addition to his arsenal, since he didn't need to reach out for his holster to get the star-shaped weapon. On his will and chakra alone, he could get the necessary amount of shuriken he wanted from the sealed ones in his band, and throw it as if it was only his hands all along. Two stars shot towards the enemy, followed by four more, then eight… and the hall was covered by deadly stars that rained down from Sasuke's hands.

"Damn this!" The opponent shouted, using his scythe to deflect every shuriken that was thrown to him. At the number, he was actually surprised that a mere kid could use them without losing accuracy over speed. He could keep up with the phase of how the young man threw it, but the latter was compensating against his enemy's ability to sustain by adding more shuriken. Because of that, he was being hit by random shuriken that he missed in repelling.

When the barrage ended, the opponent tried to focus his eyes again at the enemy, only for him to see that his opponent was already in front of him. "Fire Release: Small Fire Stream!" His opponent cast, a signal for him to drop down and avoid the torrent of fire that shot out from the man.

Sasuke knew that he would be hit from below, after his enemy dropped to the ground. He ended his stream of fire and suddenly jumped to prevent giving his enemy enough to time to make an attack. As he was in midair, he began to gather some chakra to form another jutsu. "Fire Release: Flame Flower!" Three huge bullets of fire appeared, three giant fireballs aiming to hit the enemy who was still recovering from the shock of the first fire jutsu.

Two of the three fireballs successfully hit the enemy, since the latter wasn't able to have the necessary reflex to evade the attack. The loudness of the explosion washed Sasuke's ear, still a calm, stoic expression lining his face.

After the explosion cleared, a ragged man stood with an angry expression. "That was weak, you asshole."

There were no visible hints of surprise in his face, but Sasuke was both surprised and impressed inside. If the man was still living – the _Hidan_-guy –, then the information that had reached him was indeed true. If the guy was really _immortal_, then Sasuke was at a situation of grave danger. He needed to reassess his situation again. There weren't any simple ways to defeat an enemy who couldn't die.

"Then let us just see who will win," Sasuke replied calmly. The real purpose of why he risked in going nearer to Hidan was to regain his katana from him. Now that he had his katana back, he could make a leveled-match against the triple-bladed scythe wielder.

"Your soul will be a great offering to Jashin-sama!" Hidan yelled before charging towards Sasuke, with his scythe already prepared to hit anything, the immortal member of the Akatsuki was confident that he could cut down his enemy without any difficulty. He swung his scythe with added strength, and the force had caused Sasuke to double his efforts in holding back the attack.

Sasuke was surprised that the scythe seemed to have become heavier in itself that it carried a lot more power than lately. Adding some chakra into his hands, he continued to grasp his sword with a firmer grip. He continued to let his chakra flow into his katana, until he was satisfied with the amount of chakra he had infused his blade. "Chidori katana." The chakra flowing from his hands into the blade began to pour into a spark, lightning suddenly covering the whole piece as if it was molding with the blade itself.

Overwhelmed by the surprise from the current of lightning that covered the Katana, Hidan had lost his concentration into pressuring his attack more. In flicker speed, one tooth of his scythe was cut away from his weapon. Noticing that his weapon was one blade short, he backed from his attack, putting himself into a defensive. He inhaled a huge amount of air, surprise still lingering in his system. The loss of one part of his scythe wasn't able to affect him – he was still inundated with what his enemy did. "Shit!" He finally yelled.

"Now, let see if you're still courageous enough to fight with my katana again," Sasuke said, a glimmer of confidence bathed in those words, but maintained his stoic features. "I can cut down your weapon into pieces."

"Do not be so proud, you bickering ass." Hidan said dangerously. "I'm not still showing you what I got." He charged again, his face transforming into a serious façade of anger and hate. He used his scythe again against Sasuke, but when the man was to use his katana to cut his weapon, he would pull it out quickly, making use of the force of his sudden heave of the scythe into another random attack against his enemy.

Sasuke needed to step back to avoid the dangerous flail of scythe that Hidan did, since it was a random attack that he missed in calculating. He tried to use his katana to catch the weapon again, but it would only be pulled out by Hidan again and use the power to transform it into another attack. Since the succeeding attacks were all too random, Sasuke could not surmise the exact path of the scythe for him to block.

Randomness was his Hidan's tactic. Strategy wasn't built to predict uncertainty.

If he wished to win, then Sasuke needed all his will and power to fight off his adversary.

He activated his Sharingan, three tomoes suddenly appearing and swirling in his red eyes.

Hidan suddenly stopped attacking, as he took a glance on the change in the eyes of the raven-haired guy. With his memory being able to remember the extreme sameness the man possessed from one of his own fellows, Hidan was able to speak out his curiosity. "You're an Uchiha?"

Sasuke just glared at him.

"Oh fuckin' hell," Hidan muttered. "You're that bastard Itachi's ototou!"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, in the mention of the name. "He is nothing to me. He is not my family."

"Tsk… As if I care," Hidan commented. "If you're not his family, then I assume that he'd not care if I kill you right now?" The man with a slicked back silver hair said, grinning evilly at the raven haired ninja.

"Now," Hidan continued to speak, "You will know how Jashin-sama smites his enemy! You will know how I scare the shit out of my enemy's soul!" He shouted, and muttered a silent prayer to his god. "A good kill will definitely come this day!"

**. . .**

"You managed to break one of my _hearts_." The tall scary ninja man said. "But that took you most of your energy to do. Let's see how you will combat _four _more."

Naruto panted to regain the air he lost in all the fighting. He looked defeated at the sight of the Akatsuki member. He needed to act sooner if he didn't want to be crushed by Kakuzu.

"Now, _Jinchuuriki_, you shall _die_."

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**- ****End of Chapter **-

Yay! Another chapter done! I really don't have the trajectory on what chapter this would end. But I assure you, it's **near**.

Thanks for reading and reviewing.

Ja ne!


	20. Anarchy

**Message: **Good day, minna-san! I'm happy for posting this chapter, since this is the chapter that will make my story that reach the 100,000-word count. Anyways, I'm sorry for having another late update (school's driving me crazy). As an early warning, don't expect much on this chapter, since I am beginning to feel frustrated that I can't think of any fight scenes to make this story progress. Possibly, I need to omit some scenes like those to prevent nonsense parts.

Also in my estimation, 3-5 chapters are left before this story ends.

**Author's Note/Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 19 – Anarchy**

It took him more than fifty clones to be able to get near Kakuzu, almost twenty clones to have his fist connect with his face, and four more for him to launch a Rasengan into his enemy's body – all for him to discover that he had only manage to destroy some light blue mask that was strangely located in Kakuzu's body. It took toll of his remaining chakra, and had almost starting cursing himself for pulling out a very grand prank against Sasuke, since it cost him more chakra than necessary. And it wasn't just the clone that he had wasted on his successful attack against Kakuzu – scars bathed his body, his standard Iwa-uniform torn and the look on his face shouted towards the enemy that he had been greatly _weakened_.

Blasted chance and fate. He didn't know that wars would cost a ninja dearly.

Naruto tried to stand with full vigor, trying to eliminate the feeling of fatigue that had already formed inside his body. He could already feel the stress of tiredness all along his leg muscles and joints, as they started to shake in due weariness. Not minding it, the blond ninja tried to reform his position to make another assault against Kakuzu, who stood among his masks with formed bodies of threads.

"I must say I am impressed," Kakuzu suddenly spoke, startling Naruto with his words. "You challenged me even though your chakra levels have been used to its half, but was still able to damage me that it broke one of my masks." He tried to look over his left shoulder, peering over the damage that his back took from the surprised attack from the blond ninja. He returned his gaze back at his enemy.

He moved forwards towards Naruto. "You managed to break one of my _hearts_." The tall figure of Kakuzu said, making a scary gaze even though behind the mask. "But that took most of your energy to do. Let's see how you will combat _four _more." He said, finally motioning to the other mask figures to move forwards to his side as well.

Naruto could only stare back at wonder. It was amazing that the Akatsuki member was hiding such powerful technique from the sight of many. But it also frightened him – from the looks of the four figures, it seemed that those were battle-hardened puppet-like _hearts_ that could destroy the enemy without too much difficulty. Kakuzu seemed to be able to move independently on the background of his technique – a sign that he wasn't controlling them in any way similar to puppeteers of Sunagakure. If that was the case, then it was sure the he would be having a hard time on that one.

He started to pant to regain the lost air he used when his adrenaline pumped his body to the fullest. Since he was observing Kakuzu from the time the Akatsuki member fell when he had first hit him, Naruto was able to look at the eerie eyes of Kakuzu, his scrutiny almost telling him that there was no way for him to escape. He winced at the sight – Kakuzu's gaze could defeat him.

"Now, _Jinchuuriki_, you shall die." Kakuzu said, getting the surprised attention of Naruto.

"What did you call me?" Naruto asked, his body tensing as his instinct told him to put himself into a defensive. When he heard that name, he could only feel some boiling anger pouring inside him, a hidden atrociousness coiling inside his body. The word only made him relieve of all the memories that he had from his past life, and it brought him the most unusual feeling of anger and loneliness, intertwined in a strange mix of emotions. His eyes started to flash resentment; the blond ninja looking angry at what the Akatsuki member called him.

"Uzumaki Naruto," Kakuzu called his name. "You know I am Akatsuki. And Akatsuki knows you too." He told him. "Akatsuki will not miss the identity of the tailed-beasts holders, as you will never escape from our eyes." He gave him an intense gaze. "But I will not forgive you for destroying my plans for Takigakure. You will _die_." Without any warning, the Bull-like mask shot a spear of lightning from its mouth, the deadly lance directed towards Naruto.

Without further ado, Naruto jumped away from the attack, only for him to be followed by the lightning. Jumping into the ceiling, Naruto prepared for an attack to stop the mask who breathed lightning. As he stuck his feet through the use of chakra onto the ceiling, Naruto took some kunais from his pouch. Taking the advantage of the slow rotation of the mask's head, Naruto threw his kunai towards the mask. He sensed an impending danger when he felt some chakra being gathered in the distance. He quickly moved away from his spot, only knowing that he successfully evaded a fireball that exploded into different direction, searing the ceiling away into destruction.

Taking note of where the fire jutsu came from, Naruto slowly twisted his head to where the mask figure stood. As he calculated the distances and the locations of his enemy, Naruto felt some gust of wind into his direction. There wasn't any aura of destruction from the wind, but Naruto felt the need to be warier. As he spun to see what had caused the unusual wind, his eyes widened in fear – the kunais he threw to supposedly hit the one with the lightning attack was returning against him. _That is no good_, he thought to himself.

One wisp of the kunai passed Naruto; the blond ninja was enveloped by explosion of fire.

"I don't know if you're underestimating me or you're just _dumb_," Kakuzu started to speak, as he looked disdainfully at the cloud of smoke covering the point of explosion. "The attack attempted to destroy my heart by that kunai just told me that you're going to use a kunai _embedded _with an exploding tag, or it was a futile attempt. But I will tell you this; you will not be able to defeat me by your foolish effort."

---

Naruto had already used too much amount of chakra from the beginning of all those chaotic moments. Everything had started almost two weeks ago, when the Tsuchikage ordered him to gather the information collected by one of his spies in Konoha. The first days of his mission went without too much fuss, which made him conserve most of his chakra. Everything changed when he met in his way Hatake Kakashi, Konoha's Copycat Ninja and his former sensei. In order for him and Team Obsidian to continue in their way without problem, he had made himself a very _tough _shadow clone to meet up with the ANBUs and Kakashi himself.

A very tough shadow clone meant that he had to use chakra he could normally utilize for two hundred clones. And it was destroyed after fighting for only ten minutes. A huge amount of chakra lost in that amount of time.

The following days went more peaceful and in order, he and Obsidian being able to evade ninja patrols by travelling at a faster rate. After being able to gather the information from the spy named Takashi (and to his dismay, the discovery of his beloved team of his original home, Konoha), they travelled back to Iwagakure, only to meet up with Naruto's old teammate and friend, the now Konoha's missing-nin Uchiha Sasuke. His confrontation was short, but that wasn't the reason for him to use one of his most powerful techniques, the Rasengan.

Upon their return in Iwagakure, he was put into a surprise when the Tsuchikage told him that it was Takigakure that was causing the problems in the borders of his village, Iwa. With the plan to make war with Takigakure, Naruto didn't have the time to recuperate for the lost chakra he had in the past days. As part of the plan that would make Takigakure attack Kusagakure as a front and reason for Iwagakure to remain innocent, Naruto was tasked to pose as a Kusa ninja and kill some number of Taki ninja to make up a front that Kusa held hostility against Taki. It was successful, since Taki replied within the day.

With Takigakure more prepared than expected, Iwa was hard-pressed into mobilizing its own troops to meet up with those of Taki. With that, Naruto was overworked into doing all of his individual tasks set up by the Tsuchikage. With the exploding clone technique he used upon tackling up the reinforcement of the Hidden Waterfall Village, Naruto's chakra was decreased a lot – a whole _lot_, he must say.

And with the trick he did with Sasuke, Naruto was sure that he wouldn't last for the next two days.

Would he be crushed by this Akatsuki member?

Would he finally fall?

"Naruto?" A familiar voice rung across the room. The tone resonated throughout the hall, attracting the attention of the people inside. Naruto moved his head to see the source of the voice. His face was in shock when he saw the person.

"_Kakashi_-sensei?" Naruto spoke in astonishment. "What are you doing here?"

"Naruto, that will be my fault." A second figure appeared from behind Kakashi. The person had short spiky hair, deep black eyes, and facial form that held no much seriousness in structure – although genuineness would always come in some defining point. He wore the traditional Iwa-ninja ninja clothing, an Iwa flak jacket over the standard clothing that covers one arm on a long-sleeve, leaving the other one sleeveless. He scratched the back of his head, a goofy smile forming in his face. "You seem in trouble, so I need to help you out."

"Kakumo-ojisan," Naruto acknowledged his favorite ojisan. "Thank you for arriving to help me. Demo…" Naruto said, looking derisively towards Kakashi. He hated the man too much that he couldn't look at him even with neutrality in his face. He was angry that ninja had become his sensei but left him helpless.

"Don't you worry, my boy." Kakumo said, flashing a genuine smile towards Naruto. He moved nearer towards the blond, making a distrustful glance towards Kakuzu, who was watching the whole scene with amusement. He made sure that Naruto would remain safe as long as he was there. Kakumo was a little thankful that the enemy seemed not to make any movement with their arrival. He helped Naruto stood from the ground, noticing the wounds that the blond had in his skin. "Are you still fine?"

"Yes, Kakumo-ojisan." Naruto answered with a tone that made him cringed. There was too much seriousness and _pain _in the voice, and he knew that the blond had that kind of voice whenever he was terrified or dismayed. Most likely, Naruto was disappointed for bringing Kakashi in, instead of defeating the Copycat and leaving him in death.

Kakashi could not believe what he was seeing in his eyes. Naruto was _alive_! His features were still there – the blond hair, and the cerulean eyes. But the silver-haired jounin could not fail to notice the difference in his eyes; the clear and vibrant color of the cerulean seemed to have faded through the years. It told him of how much the boy had experienced, and Kakashi felt guilty that, somehow, he had taken part in the loss and pains that his student had learned. He wanted to see him. He tried to move closer to Naruto.

"Don't go near me, Kakashi." Naruto suddenly spoke up, alarming both Kakashi and Kakumo. The blond set his eyes against the Hatake, his eyes glaring daggers towards him. The hostility in his eyes was too much painful in Kakashi's part, his student looking at him with pure disgust and agony. He just wanted to tell him that he was happy to have known that he was alive… and also ask why Naruto had been part of _Iwagakure_. "I don't deserve to be seen by _traitors_."

"Traitor?" Kakashi looked shocked. "Naruto… please listen first. I am not a _traitor_."

"Stop the act, you stupid ninja!" Naruto almost yelled when he was seeing Kakashi's gestures and mannerisms. The silver-haired jounin's expression seemed real, and Naruto was getting angrier that Kakashi appeared to have been doing it too good. "You really don't care about me! So stop it!"

"Naruto," that time, it was Kakumo who talked. "You need help; Kakashi and I are here to help you." The blond sent him a distressed glance. "Don't worry; I'll make sure that Kakashi will not hurt you again." Kakumo assured Naruto. The former shot a glance towards Kakashi.

"Obito, what are you talking about?" Kakashi asked, his feelings being crushed by the sight of the people that had been part of his life – the person he had considered his closest friend and the other one his student.

"I fulfilled the part of our talk, Kakashi." Kakumo – Obito – answered. "Now that I've let you see Naruto, accomplish your part." He answered, a change of tone accompanied Obito's words. He seemed to have suddenly taken up Naruto's side, leaving Kakashi to meander through the problems of his own emotions. "Help me and Naruto defeat this Akatsuki member." He put a stinging glaze to the direction of Kakuzu.

"Kakumo-ojisan, who's _Obito_?" Naruto asked, taking the odd-looking ball in Kakumo's hand – a soldier pill. Ignoring the bitter and the horrible taste of the medicine, Naruto continued to peer towards Kakumo, waiting for an answer as the latter looked at his surroundings and to the enemy that was standing on the other side of the hall, a possible grin under the mask showing through his eyes.

"You see," Kakumo felt like losing inside his memories and thoughts.

---

**30 minutes before**

Kakashi knew that if they were going to continue fighting in the manner they were doing for long, both of their bodies would be exhausted of their energy and chakra to an abnormally dangerous rate. The Copycat ninja knew that it was already a fight that would only end in a stalemate, and it would ultimately lead them into both of their defeat. He knew that the fight needed to be ended immediately, or more people would suffer the effect of fighting a senseless battle of wits and wills.

He snuck up a glance to his enemy, trying to distinguish the expressions forming in his face. There was already fatigue, but it was deadened by his look of determination and courage. His enemy was already at his resolve to defeat him, and he knew it wasn't a good sign for the impending drainage of his chakra. He had already deactivated his Sharingan eye in order to preserve more of his chakra, but he wasn't faring well already when their fight restarted. It was too difficult to defeat an enemy who was in hell determination to defeat you.

"Obito, we're both going to lose if this fight continues." Kakashi said towards his adversary, as he evaded a round of kunai that came from him.

"I don't care, Kakashi." Obito replied, making some hand seals. "If that is the price for protecting my boy, then I am willing to take both of us down!" After his statement, a large sphere of fire erupted from his mouth, a large blazing fireball moving to hit Kakashi.

A shocked expression lingered on Kakashi's face, before he was engulfed by the fiery wrath of the jutsu, his body being seared by the merciless flames that only aimed for destruction. Obito was certainly not amused with how Kakashi was easily defeated. _That's a damn shadow clone…_ he thought, as jumped away from the crater site, landing on a tree branch nearby. After making a soft landing on the wood, he weakly smirked as he caught a hand that was supposed to deliver a kunai into his thigh, a deliberately weak attack for someone of Kakashi's talent.

A saddening thought actually entered Obito's mind when he realized that Kakashi wasn't trying to hurt him – as much as possible. Hell, he couldn't understand why Kakashi wasn't acting as the ninja he was assumed to be? Before his musing could lose his concentration, he hastily grabbed the Kakashi from behind, throwing him above him, and sending his back slamming into the wooden base.

"Kakashi, I'm not the same old Obito that you always undermine in the past." Obito spat, making sure that his enemy was efficiently pinned down. A quick idea of nailing Kakashi's hands and feet with kunais into the branch suddenly came into his mind but quickly dismissed it. "I'm not the weakling teammate you _had before_."

"I know you're not weak, Obito." Kakashi answered, not even trying to extricate from Obito's hold. He wanted to make the Uchiha realize that he didn't have any more impulse to fight against him. "You were able to give me your eye because you do not fear of losing it. Having the strength to be able to give something so important to you is one of the greatest sign of being strong."

"Since when did you become someone who can use words to make someone feel so better? Or so important?" There was pure sarcasm in Obito's tone, but his face showed no emotions at all. He eyed the Hatake warily, searching for any signs of some concealed weapon or tactic being prepared as his enemy made use of words to delay him. As the Tsuchikage had taught him before, talking to an enemy was one of the best tactics to force the adversary into defeat, even without using too much force and energy to do so. He didn't want to fall into that type of defeat and so he would make sure that nothing passed his senses. "Kakashi, you cannot lie against me."

"I'm not lying against you." Kakashi answered, with his face calm and serious. "I do sincerely think that you, Obito, are one of the courageous ninja that I met." His features dimmed when he slowly tried to move his face away from his enemy. "When I lost you… what you told me quickly filled up my mind and _heart_…" He returned to face Obito. "I treasured those _words_ that you gave me that time."

"Yeah? And what will I hear next? That the whole Uchiha Clan rose from their graves and lived again?" Obito replied, pure doubt masking his voice. "Whatever, Kakashi."

"Why can't you believe in me?"

"How can I?" For the first time in that night, Kakashi heard again the _terrified _sound of Obito's voice. He could clearly see how his jaws stammered, as Obito tried to close his eyes and tried to shut some tears that already welled in there. "How can I believe you? Last time, I asked you to protect Rin." He said, controlling the sudden sob that escaped from him. "But then you told me that you also lost her. How could you?" He pounded Kakashi's chest – but not because of obvious anger, the Copycat noted.

"I'm sorry, Obito." A deep voice echoed from behind Obito, which prompted the latter to look back. He was only stopped when he felt a sharp object ready to pierce the back of his neck.

Obito stared back at the still-pinned Kakashi, the second suddenly vanishing in a cloud of smoke and leaving the Uchiha into the disadvantaged position he thought the Hatake had. "So what I hit wasn't the clone?" The Uchiha sighed in defeat, lowering his head as a sign of submission. "Will you kill me now?"

Kakashi wanted to shove a punch at the Uchiha, but not now that some of his body was in searing pain of burn because of the fireball jutsu. He was hissing both in pain and in annoyance. Why would he even kill him? After years of being tormented by the thoughts of being a careless and inconsiderate to one's ally, Kakashi could wish no more than the sight of the very person that he indirectly killed. The sight of the person that one day he would be given absolution for the negligence that he did those years ago. He longed for the very words of forgiveness that Obito might give him. And now that he was alive and well, he was asking Kakashi to kill him?

Forestalled by his past endeavors, Kakashi weakly answered, "No, Obito, I will not kill you. _But_, I'm going to restrain you to make you unable to escape."

Obito was silent after Kakashi made a tight rope around his body and his hands. He sat cross-legged as he leaned on a tree, the clearing providing them enough space for Kakashi to guard his prisoner while he himself protected both of them against surprise attacks.

Obito was nervous; it was clearly obvious of what was going to be asked next… of what was going to happen next. In his mind he needed to think of something, but every time a new plan was already being constructed, the outcome of those only fell into single and _only _scenery – the exact picture that he was trying to avoid. He glanced at Kakashi, who was standing on a nearby branch, his eyes scanning the forestry of any enemies waiting for an attack.

"Obito, is Naruto really alive?"

The question was shot. Obito felt he wanted to die in his spot.

"Y-Yeah…" He answered feebly. He didn't have any choice but to tell the truth. With all the things he had said to Kakashi from their earlier meeting until that time – they had almost fought for half a day – he knew it was already nonsense to make a lie. Kakashi was very perceptive, and there simply now ways in the ninja world for him to be able to make a swift and efficient lie to deny Naruto's presence. Hell, he hated it too much that he still retained much of his babbling side.

"And he's together with you? At Iwa?"

"Kakashi, you don't need to ask a question if the answer is already obvious." Obito answered, annoyed.

"How did that happened?" Kakashi asked, his eye now turned towards Obito, scrutinizing almost every aspect of the latter's face.

"The Tsuchikage has a wild tendency to pick up _wild _and _dying _strays," Obito answered.

"I'm asking a real question, Obito." The aura around Kakashi was flaring dangerously, which Obito took as non-hostile. The Hatake gave the other one a glare.

"How the hell should I know?!" Obito almost yelled. "He _was_ your student; you _were_ supposed to have a prior knowledge of the things that were happening to your _student_!"

"I don't know what happened." Kakashi answered honestly. "The Hokage just announced Naruto's death some weeks ago… and I am so confused. I thought Naruto was safe together with Jiraiya-sama in all those years that he was absent in Konoha. I didn't have the chance to know how he was progressing and developing…" He was almost mumbling. "If I had just the capability, then I should have done it a long time ago."

"You're dumb and pathetic." Obito answered. "If you want the truth, then let me start on this one. Naruto has already been staying at Iwa for almost _two _years now."

"But that's impossible! Jiraiya-sama is together––" Kakashi was cut-off by the harsh and angry voice of Obito.

"Don't you get it? Your Hokage _lied _to you from the very time that Naruto had been gone! That pathetic Hokage had covered up Naruto's _supposed_ to be death for _three _years and she just announced it now!"

"What? What happened to Naruto that would lead him to death three years ago?"

"Kakashi," there was a grim smile forming in Obito's lips. "You saw it with your own eyes three years ago… It was the eve of my boy's birth day. The day that Naruto wished to have another chance for him to retrieve the friend he lost to the darkness…"

_Naruto laid on the ground, almost unconscious, but his head was tilted into his direction. His eyes were asking him something… as if a child trying to find comfort into the hands of the people who cared for him. His cerulean eyes showed too much hurt that his mouth couldn't speak it at all. He looked confused and helpless… He was looking at Kakashi. He was looking at him._

"_What happened to him…?" Jiraiya asked, his face in total shock and surprise. Kakashi looked at the shocked expression, empathizing with the feeling of the toad sannin. He knew how the old man felt – Naruto was his student too. Even though it was still unexplainable, it hurt too much to see your student hurt. It may have been the feeling of his old sensei when Obito died in their mission. It may have not been obvious in his face when he talked to him that night after his teammate's death, but Kakashi was sure that his sensei was deeply hurt inside. He wanted to help._

"_We don't know." The ANBU told them. "We were trying to fight some missing-nin some distance from here. We left Naruto here in belief that he could protect himself. When we returned – it was the same moment that you came – we found him as you did." As one of them explained, the cat-masked ANBU went nearer to Naruto. Kakashi, with his single eye, looked with worry to Naruto and to the cat-masked ANBU. The leader of the ANBU noticed this and said, "Don't worry, he can help him."_

_He really wanted to help. But…_

_But he had another order that needed to be fulfilled. The Hokage ordered him to help the other people she sent to 'take care' of _something _important. With the assurance of the Hokage that she'd be following to help those who were in need of medical attention, Kakashi had a decision that he would leave Naruto to the hands of the medic-nin, the people who could look at Naruto with more proficiency and skill._

"_We were sent here to help you… with your mission." Kakashi said, his tone sounded unsure if that was the group of ANBU Tsunade asked him to help on their way. After he said that, he saw the distressed expression in Naruto's face. He was curious as to why his student made that look. Minutes passed by and Sakura arrived, after he, together with Jiraiya, talked to the ANBUs. After their short discussion, Naruto burst into the fiery red chakra…_

Kakashi's single eye widened in surprise after a realization finally dawned at him. The memory of that event suddenly went fresh inside his mind, every particular second already noted in his thoughts. "But––" Kakashi was to reply when he was put into a sudden trance of alarm just after Obito stood up from sitting with a stunned expression.

"I need to go," Obito said in an emotionless tone, yet maintain the bothered look.

"You are going nowhere, Obito." Kakashi retorted.

"I need to go, Kakashi!" Obito yelled. "Let me go!" He was about to jump, when the strong hands of Kakashi grabbed his foot and threw him back to the ground. With hand tied at his back, Obito didn't just have the balancing maneuver that ultimately led him to his fall. Kakashi went near him and stood in established decision of not letting his captive escape.

"What's with the rush, Obito?"

"I need to go…" Obito answered, the shock in his face turning into a frightened look. "_Please_, I need to go now."

"And why is that?"

"Naruto is in _danger_! I need to help him!" Obito answered, trying to stand from the ground. He continued to struggle from the tight ropes, even though he looked helpless in his attempts.

Kakashi looked worried. "How did you know?"

"I've put a signaling seal into Naruto… Whenever he's already having abnormally low chakra levels, it will make me know." Obito looked up to see Kakashi's face. "Please, Kakashi, I need to save Naruto." The Uchiha patiently waited for Kakashi's answer, even though anxiety was already plastering his face. Kakashi needed to act immediately, or Naruto would suffer more… and Naruto must never use _that _power.

It took a full ten seconds before Kakashi answered. "Let me join you." His voice went softer. "Let me see Naruto."

"Naruto doesn't want to see you, Kakashi!"

"It's that or I'll not _believe _you."

"Kakashi! You––"

"Obito, do you think that in your condition you will be helping Naruto?" Kakashi cut-off Obito's words as he masked his voice with a tone of killing intent and superiority. "Do you think you will fare better than Naruto after you've spent much of your chakra in our fight? Think of it; if you go there and aid him in this kind of situation, both of your may become casualties." The Hatake said, looking slightly surprised at the gaping Obito.

Obito was angry that Kakashi made a very good point. His old teammate was correct; if he was to charge without proper chakra amounts and energy, then Naruto and he would just be dead. After his thoughts reflected on Kakashi's words, Obito finally touched the core of realization within Kakashi's sphere of _implication_. He made an annoyed gaze towards Kakashi. "Are you asking me to _ask _your _help_?"

"Would you have any other choice?"

That was it. He was so going to kill Kakashi for outsmarting him.

"F-Fine." Obito answered. "Now let me go out of here. And remember to fulfill your part, Kakashi – Naruto might not mind me for a week for what I will be going to do to him."

"You seem too close with him," Kakashi commented, as he cut the ropes tied around Obito's body.

"He's the closest thing I have to a family," Obito replied. "I swore to my life that I will protect him, no matter what."

"I'm thankful that he lives… but ungrateful that he has become part of Iwa."

"It's better than _dying_," Obito responded with some mix of exasperation. He stood firmly and massaged his wrists because of the marks the rope made for being so tightly done. He quickly scanned the place, trying to determine the direction of where should they be going in aid of Naruto. "Damn, I thought that _snuck-up Uchiha_ was going to their mission _together_?"

"Are you talking about yourself?"

"Shut up, Kakashi. I'm speaking of Naruto's friend, Sasuke."

Kakashi felt that he was rolled flat by the moon. "What did you say?"

"Kakashi, it seems to be the best time to consider the existence of the people who had become related to you." Obito spoke. "And, yes, Sasuke just acted not to have minded your news to him regarding Naruto's death because he didn't want yet to expose his status with Naruto and Iwa."

Kakashi felt _betrayed_ and _glad _at the same time.

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

Thank you for reading. Got to make another chapter for my next story.

Good day again!


	21. The Great Intervention

**Message: **I'm sorry for leading the story into some confusing flow. I'm trying to use a writing style to make something better out of this, but if it seems not to be turning out of what I expect of it, then I think it will be better if I revert into telling the story in a more understandable format.

**Author's Note: **Less fights from now on. Editing of the whole story will be done once the post is done.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 20 – The Great Intervention**

Turtle looked impassively at the Konoha ninjas that stood defeated across the vision of three Iwa-nins that set foot with prepared stances, their calculating eyes lingering over the enemies, scrutinizing gazes almost yelling the need to end the little battle. He continued to observe in silence and mere meekness that no one seemed to have noticed his arrival. For the moment, he knew he needed to make some discreet movements for him not to attract attention, because he must take advantage of the situation to make a final blow. Even though how much he despised some ninjas in the _large _group of Konoha ninjas sent to deal _within _Takigakure itself, a little thankful he was for them buying his time to prepare for such things. He must understand the necessity of waiting for the exhaustion that loomed in battle, and, once it started to grow, his time to appear would come.

He must wait until he was sure that the Iwa-nins were out of their reserves. As most of tacticians must put it, it was better to let the injured enemies be handled by the injured ninjas as not to _sacrifice _the strength of _ninja reserves_. He must wait until the time for him to end the puny life of the worthless Iwa-nins would show. At the moment, he just wanted to know first how weakling those Konoha allies were.

"I never expected that these Konoha ninjas would last this far," the panting kunoichi in the group commented, flashing a sarcastic grin towards her adversaries. "So the reputation of the Hidden Leaf Village really lives on until now."

"That is one thing that the Tsuchikage wants us to learn, Sumi-chan." Moko said, going nearer to the woman, trying to block off the very small opening in their small battle formation. "I may be carefree, but I will never forget that we must _never _underestimate our opponents." Moko suddenly looked towards Nebi, who was looking anxiously towards the rooftop of a certain building not far away.

"_Aa_," Nebi answered, still not removing his eyes from the spot. Moko and Sumi started to tense when they felt the difference in Nebi's aura, a sign that an impending doom was already waiting for the right opportunity to take someone out. "We don't need to underestimate the enemy as they are, but also the situation at hand. Chances are that we are overly preoccupied in minding our _present _enemies without trying to prepare for something more epic." He made a motion to Moko. "Like that _ANBU _in hiding.

_Ah… So that is why the young one is looking awkward_, Turtle thought, smiling behind his ANBU mask. At present, there were very few people who actually had a very fine and attuned chakra sense, and fewer with those who could even trace the almost undetectable trace of ANBU chakra. It was impressive, but not really impossible. The ANBU knew that he wasn't a perfect ninja, and he knew the fact that he couldn't just _kill off _his chakra signature. He prepared some weapons in his hand, preferring a kunai that he took out recently upon his arrival at the scene.

Although one thing was in question.

Why was the boy _not _looking at his direction if he has detected an ANBU?

* * *

Annoying was one thing that Sasuke hated in his life. It was one of the very essences of life that would make him snarl, because it gave him some worst of feelings whenever possible. Annoying was something he wanted to not to experience. He would like to be always in peace, and so he hated being annoyed. Damn, it was the foolish perceptions of those annoying _things_ that scattered the petty words that he was _brooding_. If he had just the time and the capabilities (though he would not do it, of course), he would want to _broadcast _that he wasn't _brooding _– he was concentrating, for Kami's sake!

But of course, it was one of Sasuke's rare imaginations, that he would subject himself into a very childish predicament that he warranted having a very childish solution. There was no way in the nine circles of hell that he'd be clarifying things into the public. He would do that, if the thing was of necessity or deserved the attention of a proud and great Uchiha. But it would just be too petulant to think of being affected by a misconception. He was an Uchiha, and there would be _no more _Uchiha that acted like a kid.

But it would also always be the fact that he didn't want to be involved in instances where annoying was the general matter. In that particular fight, it was already irritating that Sasuke couldn't simply defeat his enemy. It was because of immortality that made Hidan a tough adversary, and Sasuke couldn't take it very lightly. He could – he had done it, actually – resort into using his devastating jutsus, only for him to know that Hidan lives against his hellish attacks. He had finally realized that if he wanted to win, he needed to _wait_.

But waiting wasn't its real complexity when someone of Hidan's character was present around. The man was damn annoying, and his loudness was intolerable. With his loud curses that rang throughout the hall, Sasuke wanted to remove his hearing sense for him to be able to concentrate.

It was then he decided that he could consider Hidan as one of the very few deities of Annoying incarnate, a terrible being masked by a human body. He could not contain his own infuriation against his very _loud _and _obnoxious _opponent. Even though how much composed he was, there was no telling if how much his temper could hold him. Sasuke needed to think of better ways to defeat the enemy _quickly_ – he didn't want to admit it, but fighting an immortal enemy was a painstaking task against his chakra stores and it made him _wet_.

In the time when the worst of all came, Sasuke had finally realized that he needed to return into usage of lower-rank techniques, those that didn't cost him much chakra. He found it effective to person like Hidan though; who could have known that the man had such very low perceptive skills? With that, Sasuke found it amusing that the small water jutsus he was using were more effective than his most caustic ones.

"How many times do I need to freakin' tell you that you can't drown me?!" Hidan made another round of his almost nonsensical babbling, which did not amuse Sasuke as he did in the first time that their battle went. The immortal scythe wielder charged for another time, making a random but powerful jab against his enemy.

Sasuke easily evaded the petty attack, but made a mental note that every dodging that he was doing was making its toll against his strength and finesse. The longer that their fight ensued, the more fatigued his body became. It was such shame that he didn't have any amazing amount of stamina to fight for very long periods.

"Water Release: Snake's Mouth!" Sasuke cast the same jutsu for the fourth time in their fight, large amounts of water being summoned, taking form of a huge snake. At the moment its form was completed, it went directly towards Hidan's direction, its mouth opening to swallow the enemy. Hidan, being unable to make an evasive maneuver due to the backlash of his power attack, was consumed by the jutsu. He felt the drowning experience for another time, cursing the Uchiha under the pressure of the liquid. The water subsided, and he was taken in a slight distance away from the washing water.

Sasuke would want to smirk in watching how Hidan got easily swept away by the water, but he found himself unable to do so. Hidan was immortal, and that very fact was somehow uncomfortable to know. He could not think of any actions that could possibly end the life of the stupid ninja, and he was indeed running out of time and chakra in discernment of such plan.

He suddenly saw Naruto's ojisan, Kakumo, from the open door of the large hall running in full might. It wasn't really surprising in his part to see that the person wandering about Takigakure, but seeing him in a different perspective was another thing. If not for Naruto's unusual protectiveness of the man, then he would kill the man in sight. The sudden appearance of a man having a Sharingan was unsettling to Sasuke's part. He knew that the _whole _Uchiha clan was slain that _night_, and he was sure that there must have been no more people to carry it. Unless Kakumo was out of the village that time or it wasn't _from _him. Sasuke deeply believed the latter – that his Sharingan didn't belong to him, as Kakashi's eye was.

An Uchiha or not, Sasuke would want to know where that eye had belonged before he could kill him. As far as he could remember, the Uchiha Clan kept records of every clan members that would be killed in action, or died of disease, or anyone who had passed away. It was a standard operating procedure in the clan, especially that there were people who were interested into studying the special capabilities of their eyes. It was one way to protect the thing that made the Uchiha Clan famous and strong, and the clan did make sure that the secrets of their eyes remained to the clan itself.

He had long tried to forget how Kakashi acquired his own Sharingan, but it was pressing issue that took him to think that there had been some infiltration issue that had occurred in the past. It meant that the clan had been somehow penetrated in the past. Sasuke would not want to believe that, of course. But the appearance of another person with the Sharingan eye clearly disturbed him. That meant there were more things that had happened to the Uchiha Clan before that warranted his attention.

After some three seconds, Sasuke's eyes widened in surprise when his eyes caught glimpse of another ninja running, trailing the path that Kakumo took. He didn't expect to see that person again, that ninja with the _silver hair_ and a _masked face_. Of all the places in the world, why would he found him there?

Why was _Kakashi_ there? A suspicion quickly followed his thoughts when he realized that Kakashi was indeed _trailing _behind Kakumo, and it meant that he was just following the latter. There was something wrong in that sight, a scene where Kakashi should have been chasing Kakumo because he was an enemy. But from the looks of the eyes of the two (the Sharingan was helpful to see the most negligible figure in that distance), Sasuke was sure that there was some hidden determination lingering around, a concealed goal that _both _of them were trying to achieve.

It was a good thing that the duo hadn't noticed him, or maybe not realized who he was.

But then, what was it?

Sasuke, not missing the slight difference in the displacement of air, was able to dodge another _surprise _attack from Hidan, who cursed for not being able to make another hit. The Uchiha hastily held onto his katana, making a huge slash attack against his attacker. The former was successful into taking down the enemy, when something unexpected happened.

Hidan suddenly turned into a puff of smoke. Sasuke quickly spun to the opposite direction, and tried to jump away from his spot. He knew that he was too late when he felt a stinging sensation that erupted in his back, a long trail of lacerating pain travelling in its length. Sasuke ignored the insignificant pain on his back, still continuing to move away from Hidan.

After bringing himself out of the spot, Sasuke tried to reach out his back, trying to calculate the type and severity of injury he had acquired from Hidan. Realizing that his evading of the enemy's attack actually helped, Sasuke concluded that Hidan had just scratched him with the very pointed tip of Hidan's scythe. He gave a threatening gaze towards Hidan.

Hidan had a grim smile. His face was twitching erratically, a signal that he would seem to spill up every hidden snicker and demise he hid from the battle. His eyes turned into an unusual orb of malice and ecstasy. He looked back at Sasuke indignantly, a devilish look lingering in his very eyes. "Now I got the most special thing for me to able to defeat you!" Hidan suddenly shouted, his voice thundering as if he had already achieved success. He proceeded into putting his hand inside his cloak and obtained a short metallic thing from it. He held the piece of metal in its thickest diameter, whipping it in sheer force that it revealed itself to be a retractable piece of spike. "You will witness how Jashin-sama gives pleasure to the people who serve him well!" Hidan announced, and suddenly pierced his thigh with the spike.

Sasuke looked in hidden surprise when his enemy did that. Why in the world would he need to hurt himself?

Hidan felt the pain and pleasure he felt when he was wounded. Hurting himself was certainly out of the normality of life, but it gave him the oddest sensation of elation that could never be felt from normal things alone. It had disgusted many, but he knew he would never forsake his methods from the insight of other people. There were just too much pleasure in serving Jashin, and Hidan would forever be his humble servant for being able to relinquish the most enjoyable feeling in the world. He slowly lowered his head and watched his own blood flow out from his wound, feeling the warmness of the red fluid in his very skin. It was in blood that his religion and his methods were revolving, and he was very happy to see those red fluids be flowing from everything... Blood dripped into the floor, and the small trickling sound from it delighted Hidan's ears. He looked again at Sasuke, who was watching him with bizarre amusement. "Now, the serving of Jashin-sama will start now! You little shit will experience hell soon."

With his foot, Hidan started to form some figure from his blood, a similar drawing of his own amulet. In a short time, he was able to complete the figure – an almost perfect copy that had been drawn with great precision. It may have taken Hidan to perfect drawing the figure with his feet for him to be able to do it in a short time and in great exactness. "Witness how Jashin-sama gives me his power!" With the final statement, Hidan licked the blood of Sasuke in his scythe, swallowing it in pure smoothness. His skin suddenly turned into black, with some bone-like marking covering some prominences in his body.

"Let's make this slow and _painful_, shall we?" Hidan talked to Sasuke before he plunged his spike into his uninjured thigh. He quickly looked at Sasuke, anticipating a quick response because of his _ritual_.

Sasuke just smirked.

Hidan's eyes widened in surprise as his expectation quickly faltered in his mind. "What the _fuck_?!" He cursed as he thrust his spike into his abdomen, somewhere over his spleen, to confirm the reality of what was happening. Seeing the still smirking expression from Sasuke, Hidan hid his spike for the moment, as he panicked in his own supposed to be advantageous situation. "What the hell did you do, you asshole?!"

"I just destroyed the _consistency _of your plan." Sasuke answered, making another tight hold of his katana. "Now that what you're planning is rendered ineffective, I can see to it that you may have a weakness, after all." He said before he disappeared from Hidan's side and emerged beside him. Sasuke gave a hit to Hidan's side, causing a large gash of wound throughout his right torso. He was also able to pierce Hidan's stomach before he retreated back into his spot.

"You _ingrate_! I will crush you to death!" Hidan said as he took the sensation of pain from the wounds Sasuke gave him. He finally noticed that the attacks made by Sasuke had pushed him off his ritual circle – the sacred spot that made his jutsu successful. Taking a quick look towards the symbol, Hidan finally realized Sasuke's answer from lately. _Consistency_... the word echoed throughout his mind. "_Fuck _you..." The words were full of rage and vexation. He suddenly whirled towards Sasuke's direction.

"You're slow brain finally realized?" Sasuke talked.

"You weren't foolishly drowning me lately, but you were trying to make the whole place wet..." Hidan spoke of his realization. He looked back at his ritual symbol as his blood he used to draw was being washed away by the water of Sasuke's jutsu's remnants. "For me not to be able to _fuckin_' draw." Hidan was finally brought under another dawn of realization. "Hey! You knew my jutsu!"

"I thought to you were brainless." Sasuke sighed.

Hidan tried to make another attempt to attack when he was suddenly stopped when a number of ninjas suddenly arrived at the place. "Uchiha-san, we're glad that you have finally left him unable to perform his jutsu." A masked individual dropped directly in front of Sasuke, his head bowing in deep respect. "Our leader will be very glad of this progression."

"Be glad that in this time I am _willing _to perform the tasks you're leader is giving me." Sasuke answered emotionlessly, but the hints of his disdain and annoyance were present in his tone. "Yet I must say that you're information was commendable."

"That is most kind of you, Uchiha-san." The masked ninja replied, making another small bow towards Sasuke. "We are also tasked to help you dispose of your enemy. Should you want our help?"

"I can take care of this myself." Sasuke answered.

"Just make sure of that, Uchiha-san." The masked ninja answered, slightly puzzling Sasuke.

* * *

Naruto could not believe how flawless the simultaneous attacks done by Kakashi and his Kakumo – Obito – against their fight against Kakuzu. There was smoothness in the synchronized attacks and the coordination was almost simply _perfect_. It seemed that their movements were so choreographed and it was practiced for more than years. His Uncle Kakumo – err, Obito – had just told him lately that he and Kakashi were actually old teammates. He was also surprised by that fact that Obito was indeed and Uchiha and he gave his left eye to Kakashi. He didn't further his explanation how did he acquired a new eye in replacement of his old one. Naruto was surprised by that information that he simply felt _satisfied _with the knowledge. Through all the surprises and shock he had just encountered, Naruto wasn't able to ask about the present events – like how Obito did came up ending in Iwa if he was from Konoha?

Of course, there would be next time. And Naruto would want that next time to ask questions to his Obito-ojisan. He needed to know something about his uncle, because now he did know that the two of them shared a deeper connection – _home_. Naruto was inwardly glad that Obito was from Konoha. That meant that he still had his connection from his old home. It made him felt warm.

He continued to observe how Kakashi held Obito's left hand and flung him with sheer force away towards the strange eagle-like mask. Obito quickly flashed some hand seals, signifying the use of one of Uchiha Clan's signature jutsu. "Fire Release: Grand Fireball Technique!" The black-haired man cast a jutsu in mid-air, his giant orb of flame being formed and prepared to be launched. After the orb of fire started its pace in attack to its target, Obito quickly followed his attack with another jutsu, "Wind Release: Godly Wind from the Mountain!" A strong gust of wind came streaming towards behind the ball of fire. Once the winds reached the fireball, it intensified the power of the flame, making it bigger and hotter on its approach.

The eagle-like mask fortified its position, placing its four feet in a wider stance. It was then accompanied by another mask beside it, both of their mouths opening into impossible extent. The eagle-like mask released wind its mouth while its companion released a huge jet of water. The two elements provided by the two masks released reinforced one another in a blast of stream of water and wind combination, a hurricane of horrendous force coming to counter the larger fireball.

The two attacks met in the air, trying to outrank each one's level of power. After some seconds, nothing of the two attacks won against each one and ended up in a huge explosion of steam, smoke and gust that blasted outward towards the people inside the hall. Obito suddenly dropped crouching into the floor, slamming his right hand to the ground. Suddenly, a rock spike from the floor pierced the body of the mask that used water in its attack, immobilizing it in its place. Obito suddenly put a strong gaze towards Kakuzu. "Now, Kakashi!" His voice resonated throughout the place.

As soon as Obito called Kakashi's name, a spear of lightning sprouted from nowhere, its deadly path going towards the location of the mask that was impaled with the rock spike. Unable to escape easily from the spike, the mask received the full might of the lightning spear, its mask unfortunate to have been hit by the attack. With the power of the lightning focused, the mask was destroyed into pieces. It suddenly stopped in its plan to extricate, the body flailing weak into the ground. After some seconds, the threaded body dissolved.

The bull-like mask stopped its attack to Kakashi after it realized that the remnants of its attack that missed the silver-haired ninja hit another mask. It was too late to stop when the mask that threw water attacks already dissolved in its impaled position.

Kakashi smirked behind his mask as he returned to Obito's side to prepare for another attack. He jumped hastily towards the Uchiha. Upon reaching the other one's spot, he suddenly felt a headache and his body weakened in the sudden mix of fatigue and pain. His knees abruptly trembled and ended unable to support his whole body. He faltered and fell, with Obito catching him before Kakashi's head had hit the floor. "Kakashi!" Obito quickly called out the other one's name. "What's happening to you?"

"He's overworked, Kakumo-ojisan." Naruto suddenly spoke, which startled Obito. He'd seen that the blond ninja had gone near their direction upon seeing Kakashi wavered. Naruto looked at Kakashi's frail form, his own emotions towards the silver-haired ninja indiscernible. "He has been on the field for a long time now; I doubt that he had some time for him to rest." Naruto still looked impassively. "I think he was out at the same length as mine."

"Kakashi, you just grew older and then you went weaker," Obito commented, shaking Kakashi's head using the hand he used to support it. "We can't defeat him if you're acting weak!" The Uchiha yelled over Kakashi's ear. He quickly looked over Naruto. "Naruto, are you fine to fight now?" Obito asked, the tone of seriousness completely masking the usual goofiness in his voice.

"Yes, ojisan. I'm fine and we can––" Naruto was cut-off from speaking when Kakashi's hand reached over his own.

"No, Naruto, you still are not fine." Kakashi was able to speak in a straight and complete sentence even though he was now having difficulty breathing. He motioned Obito that he wanted to stand again, which the former complied with. Holding his chest in a sudden trance of pain, Kakashi looked straightly at the visage of Kakuzu who was watching the whole scene with the hint of total rage and anger in his eyes. "I can't l-let you destroy more… lives."

"With your present condition, you still think you can match up against me?" Kakuzu asked, his voice full of wickedness and malevolence. "All of you may have destroyed two of my hearts, but in your present state, I doubt that you can do anything more against me." The tall man said, evil looming in his very own shadows. "Now that one of you is incapacitated and another one not faring any better––" he took a small glance towards Obito, who winced under the extreme gaze, "––all of your hearts will be mine."

"I don't think so."

As the voice reverberated throughout the location, a large cube suddenly appeared from nowhere, moving in impossible speeds towards the other two masks of Kakuzu. Because of the shock of the rapid emergence, the masks reacted too slowly, them being hit by the large cube. The one with the bull-like mask and the eagle-like dust were suddenly pulverized into dust, the masks crumbling into invisible piece of nothingness. The last trace of the two's existence were suddenly erased from the visible realm, earning the surprised gazes of everyone inside.

Comprehension of what happened started to sweep into different people's minds, which quickly brought the attention of Obito who was still positioning his hands near Kakashi for support. When he finally realized who the owner of the voice was and what just happened to the two hearts, Obito didn't give Kakashi a chance to whirl and see the person for himself. He muttered a very soft apology before he hastily but precisely hit Kakashi's tenketsu and nerve points for him to render the jounin unconscious. It was Naruto who caught Kakashi when he fell again. The blond haired ninja looked curious towards Obito.

"Kakumo-ojisan, why'd you do it?" Naruto asked, placing the jounin safely into the floor.

"Kakashi doesn't need to know." Obito-Kakumo quickly answered. "I'm glad that he was able to help, but he will not be needed for now." He ended his statement as he noticed the arrival of more Iwa ANBU into the place. He approached the doorway of the large hall. When he finally saw the visage of the person who talked, Obito told himself to act as a very _respectful _ninja.

A small _old _man walked with authority inside the hall, his features easily comprehended as a sign of growing age. His head was bald and the last remaining hair in it was tied into a ponytail. He raised his chin up, looking at the people inside the place, his nose being the most easily distinguished feature in his face. His thickened eyebrows though didn't show much hair growth regression. Upon making a small scrutiny of the hall, the old man started to pull into his triangular beard, features of deep thought written all over his countenance. He put his gaze quickly towards Obito, his eyes already twisting into some silent rage and angered curiosity.

Without being prompted of what, Obito knew what the man exactly meant. "_Ano…_" The Uchiha scratched the back of his head. "I needed to enlist the help of every people I can muster to help Naruto. It's unfortunate that it was the Copycat ninja who was the only available one."

"Once we return to Iwa, I shall have you into some intensive interrogation of this _treacherous _ploy of yours, Obito." The old man said. "You've always denied my rules and acted in your own thinking."

"I'm sorry." Obito was only able to say, as he bowed his head in deep repentance. "But I only did it for Naruto's sake."

"Your actions are always rash." The newcomer replied. "You just made one of the greatest mistakes in this war."

"It was a necessary move, _Ōnoki_-ojisama." Obito replied. "I can have asked the help of more Konoha ninjas if that is what it takes for me to help Naruto."

"You still are hard-headed after all these years," Ōnoki answered, glaring at Obito. "I will make sure you will learn everything again."

"Ōnoki-jiji," Naruto suddenly intervened into the conversation. "Please relieve of Kakumo-ojisan first. If not for what he did, then I may have not survived the enemy." He looked pleadingly at Ōnoki, his eyes bearing the most truthful form he could ever muster.

Ōnoki planted a dubious gaze towards Naruto. Upon seeing that Naruto's features were really true to his words, he sighed in defeat as he returned his stare towards Obito. "I will not reprimand you anymore for today, but expect another meeting of ours."

"Thanks, Ōnoki-jiji!" Obito replied with his childish tone and grin while flashing a 'thumbs-up' to his kage.

_If not for Naruto, I should have strangled you because of your disrespect_, Ōnokithought before shifting his look to the enemy just looking with pure surprise.

"Kakuzu, it's been ages that I've last seen you." Ōnoki started, making a small grin to the Akatsuki member. "If you just didn't follow your old leaders back in the past, then you should have at least been working with me in _decency _now."

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

Thanks for reading. Some of my friends are actually bothering me already about my next story. They rather seem to be excited upon the character I will be using.

Thank you again, and may everyone have a nice day.

**Hey! **It's Valentine's Day when I posted this! **Happy Single Awareness Day!** XD


	22. Stillness over Conflict

**Author's warning: **This chapter is somewhat **disappointing**. I'm sorry about this, but I need to put this in.

**Author's note: **You've been warned about this chapter. You've been **warned**.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 21 – Stillness over Conflict**

Turtle stood out from his covers, his face still indiscernible due to the porcelain mask that covered his face. He was forced to go leave out the plan he was making in his mind when something _unexpected _happened in the middle of the standstill that held the group of eleven Konoha ninjas against the three Iwa-nins from restarting another barrage of attacks. As Turtle softly landed at the rubbles and craters that formed due to the massive fight, he took a continuous gaze over the group of more _ANBU _ninjas that rested on the other side of the location. His eyes loomed in deep disturbance and vexation when he seemed to have not discerned the progression of events at those times.

"What is happening here?" Turtle quickly asked, quickly stopping Yamato from asking the same question. He quickly took the sight of a Konoha ANBU who stood impassively along with his comrades, silently demanding the quick answer from the person. "Just what are you trying to do?"

The ANBU who Turtle was looking at knew that those eyes were looking at him. He could not miss the aura of directness and arrogance that was directed towards him, a silent dictation of authority and need to be informed of everything. Even though the mask perfectly covered Turtle's face, the ANBU was still able to project some feelings to other people – sensations that were too familiar with the ANBU. Determination to serve the Hokage. Fortitude to do everything for the leadership of Konoha. Resilience to _kill _for an order. He would even cringe due to the impression being gathered by the ANBU, the very same person that was the legend and the _enigma _among the numbers of ANBU in Konoha. Yet, he needed not to be subjected to the fear Turtle was trying to impose to them, since he knew he carried a higher knowledge and authority for the time.

"Turtle," the ANBU, who wore an abstract representation of a badger, gathered enough courage to pronounce the name the Hokage relayed to him with such clarity and hidden fury, "we've come here to inform you of the latest happenings that required your _immediate_ attention."

"And what you tell me is deemed highly unbelievable," Turtle answered, his hands already trying to reach out to his kunai pouch. "If it is, then why do you have to be with some _Iwa _ANBU?" He asked, finally opening the pouch and digging at the small arsenal that he brought. "It's highly unlikely that you came from Konoha."

"Turtle, there is no need for you to doubt. We came from Konoha with the orders from the Hokage." Badger answered flatly. Behind his mask, he was fuming. "There is a new order that needs to be executed as soon as possible. For us to be able to do that, we need the help of the Konoha group that were tasked to enter Takigakure itself." He looked at the Konoha ninjas who were still in defensive positions due to their arrival. He also noticed the three Iwa-ninjas in the background tensing in confusion. "You need to be _pulled out _from this fight."

"What do you mean?" It was Yamato who asked, his usual detached face making some odd mix of emotions. "I thought we are tasked to bring down the head of the Kusa-Taki war. I thought it was the best idea." The ex-ANBU said, trying to probe at the faces of the Konoha ANBUs in front of them.

"It is an order from the Hokage." Badger answered quickly. "Everyone must follow what was decreed, and so we are sent here to make the order possible." He looked at the _other _uniformed ANBUs with them, their particular masks varied very differently with theirs. "_Feldspar_-san, I hope your kage will fulfill the part of his words regarding Iwagakure's neutrality to Konoha's presence here." He told the ANBU beside him, his oddly colored mask and uniform obviously signifying his rank over his other comrades.

"Of course, Badger-san," Feldspar curtly replied. "Tsuchikage-sama is always true in his words. If it hadn't been true, then your ninjas would have been obliterated even before they'd entered Kusa." The ANBU sounded too serious but calm, his head never made a movement and seemed to continue to gaze towards the other three Iwa-nins on the other side of the scene.

Badger's eyebrow twitched under his mask, slight irritation filling up his temper. The answer came too quickly from the mouth of the ANBU, as if an already scripted line were prepared for any questions thrown. It was full seriousness and odd gravity that made it sound true, but for sure it brought some discomfited feelings into his side. In ANBU's terms, the reply sounded 'inappropriately assured statement greater than tangible confidence'. In normal ninja terms, it sounded 'cocky'. After his brief reconsideration of what the other ninjas had said, Badger decided to nod coldly to the other one.

"If the information sent with us is right, you must be Team Obsidian." Feldspar spoke loudly, possibly to attract the attention of the three Iwa-ninjas far away from their spot. His voice contained the mixture of disappointment and slight irritation. "We are informed that _everyone _from Iwagakure was told that we are not to engage _any _Konoha ninjas."

"ANBU-san," Moko suddenly talked, releasing the tension that built up when the ANBUs came into the scene. "The Konoha ninjas attacked us _first_. It was just appropriate to defend ourselves." He said with tough composure, trying to rival the weight of the ANBU. "But we did not aim to kill them, since it was the meaning of the order given to us."

"Not aiming to kill?!" Ino suddenly shouted because of Moko's reply. "You were just trying to _erase _our existence out of this world!"

"Ino, just keep your mouth closed this time," Shikamaru said. "It will be too troublesome if something goes wrong with your words."

"Yamato," Badger suddenly called out. "You were sent too late when another order from the Hokage came out. We are not supposed to engage Iwagakure ninjas on sight. As for now, the best action to do was to take you out from this place, and we must be thankful that Iwagakure wishes to fulfill the part of their message as well." He looked slightly disdainful at the Iwa ANBUs. "We need to get you out of here _immediately_."

Turtle, as much he as he wanted to protest about the recent development of things, thought that it was better to remain silent. There were simply too many people in that place for him to deal, and he would not let himself be defeated by petty reasons. Once everything was over, he would merit himself an explanation that would come from the Hokage herself.

* * *

"You were warned back then, Kakuzu," Ōnoki suddenly spoke, walking at a slow pace around the hall, not minding the danger still being posed by the Akatsuki member. "You were warned that the mission given to you by your leaders will not give you any good."

Kakuzu took time for him to consider what the old kage was trying to tell him, his memory blurred of the length of time that he had been living in the world. He slowly meandered through the words that the man said, trying to recompress it into his mind to be able to compare it on what was in his reminiscence. "What are you saying?" Kakuzu finally said, motioning the remaining threaded heart to go near him, in case that something would go unexpected. "Although I surmise that you are the Tsuchikage."

"Yes, I am." Ōnoki replied. "So it is indeed true that old age makes you easily forget the things of the past." He smiled. "My, my… we share the same predicament. I rarely remember how I did when I was still young as this people here." He shot a gaze towards Kakuzu again. "But it's calming to find someone who had lived at the same time past eh, Kakuzu?"

"I do not live in the same philosophy as you are, Tsuchikage. We've been bound by our contracts in the _past_, but it does not mean that I enjoy us being accomplices." Kakuzu quickly answered, seriousness clouding his tone. "If it's a task, then I shall gladly do it. But I do not verse myself into getting close to an employer." He grunted. "Money is more important than treasuring the job done with the employer."

"But it's not bad to reminisce the old times," Ōnoki answered, making a sarcastic grin towards Kakuzu. "You know, it's a rare opportunity for a kage of Iwagakure to go out of the field to meet out with the adversary." The Tsuchikage said proudly, trying to prod towards Kakuzu for any signs of surprise or amusement. There came none.

"I don't care if you be the kage of Iwa," Kakuzu straightly answered. "Petty ranks don't give me a damn."

"Still stoic as you are back then," Ōnoki commented, who started walking away from the small round window that plastered on the wall. "We'll have a slightly longer talk, huh?"

---

"Kakumo-ojisan," Naruto called out his uncle when he started to get some fuzzy thoughts about the progression of events. "What is Kakuzu talking about? What is he referring about their _contracts _in the past?" The blond asked the question without removing his focus towards the bantering Ōnoki and Kakuzu.

"I should have known…" Kakumo-Obito could only respond to Naruto in deep aghast. "I should have known it immediately." He looked at Naruto with almost bloodshot eyes, his face making a feared emotion that blanketed his face in pure mixture of denial and dread. "Naruto, Ōnoki-sama had _hired _Akatsuki in the _past_."

Naruto staggered at the statement. "A-Are you sure?"

"It's the only explanation." Obito answered. "I've always become curious in the past about where the Tsuchikage kept finding some mercenaries who had asked to be paid in a very low price in comparison the level of quality that could rival those of the ninja villages. In the records that we kept in Iwa, there had always been some mission that was paid in a lower the common cost that was always executed flawlessly." Obito looked at Ōnoki with disgust pooling in his eyes. "Ōnoki had used them in the past. Akatsuki - the _unknown _mercenary group that has been trying gathering the attention of the smaller countries into using them."

"I can't understand the reason,"

"It was the postulate raised by intelligences in our village." Obito started to explain. "Some years ago, our intelligence network began to collate the data about the gathered information regarding the amount and percentage of ninjas being hired by countries to perform some missions. Since there hadn't been any major conflict in the past years, the ninja villages were having some problems regarding their financial status, since countries have not been hiring ninjas to use with.

"From the data that was collected, there had been an odd increase in the hiring of some _mercenary _groups in replacement of ninjas from standard ninja villages. From the additional information assembled in relation to these mercenaries, it seemed that the mercenaries are offering some small countries lower-than-normal cost of work compared to those of the ninja villages." Obito paused for a while, his eyes jumping from Ōnoki towards Kakuzu, then from Kakuzu back to the Tsuchikage. "It has been the subject of investigation for most of the intelligence division, since it might trigger some major problem if not treated in the future."

"Like the ninja villages running out of funds to run itself?" Naruto said.

"Just like that," Obito responded. "Ninja villages gathered its money from the mission that it got from countries across the lands. If none of the countries required the service of their partner ninja village, then the latter would suffer a lot." He continued. "Anyway, due to the extensiveness of the information gathering regarding the present statistics, it inevitably went into some unexpected results."

Naruto's eyebrows met; he was becoming more curious.

"Upon the investigation, two different spy networks came across each other since they were chasing the same _rabbit_." Obito said. "Apparently, the intelligence network that was just trying to investigate the sudden rise of mercenary hiring had been actually trying to catch up with the very same tail that some other group was trying to grab as well."

"You mean Akatsuki?"

"_Aa_," Obito briefly replied. "It rather seemed that these mercenary groups were under the banner of Akatsuki – or Akatsuki itself – trying to pose out as a legitimate substitute for the available ninja villages. Because of that, the intelligence network that had been trying to be updated with Akatsuki itself had become alarmed about this development." The Uchiha took a glance at the unconscious Kakashi still lying on the floor. "There hadn't been anymore explanation of why would Akatsuki be trying to impress the small countries into hiring them over some ninja villages. It was still an unknown cause of why trying to get missions at a lower price are being initiated by the group."

"So there hadn't been any available explanation as to why Akatsuki is trying to handle some low-paid missions." Naruto said, trying to comprehend into himself the meaning of what his ojisan told him. "But will not that merit Iwa to investigate more?"

"That, perhaps, is the exact reason why Iwa seems to fail to know the real motive behind the present actions of Akatsuki." Obito hissed, taking his gaze back to his kage, Ōnoki. "Tsuchikage-sama is reluctant to allow Iwa to discover more of this Akatsuki-matter because he knows the continuous exploration of this issue will be somehow connected to him."

Naruto suddenly remained silent.

Deep inside his mind, Obito was thinking of another thought that shot out from his imagination, a thought that he would gladly welcome into his consideration. _What are you just planning, old man? I'll discover it, no matter what. _He looked back at Naruto, who was showing signs of internal distress, maybe from what he told him lately. _And I'll promise to take you down… one day._

---

"Sometimes, the things that blind you the most are the same things that lie closest to your heart." Ōnoki continued with a grim smile, prodding at the still impassive Kakuzu who stood alongside with the last remaining heart. "Some people know of this, and they continue to preserve the unofficial secrecy of this thing. As wise as I could say, it is something that is really better hidden than known."His half-hearted smile finally dropped, revealing the truthful emotion behind his words. "Kakuzu," he called out, "do you understand what I am trying to tell you?" His gaze towards the tall man didn't falter.

"Life is never fair. People tend to use what knowledge they possess in controlling the senses of others. Shame to those who neglect the usefulness of such tactic." Kakuzu answered with pure confidence and unwavering countenance, apparently sure of what he knew. "Strength is determined with the capability and _knowledge_ of one.

Ōnoki shook his head in slight disparagement. He knew from the very eyes of Kakuzu that the latter indeed recognized the very thing he was trying to convey. But it rather seemed that Kakuzu was determined not to mind it, and he appeared to have been trying to _suppress _it. "It was the past, Kakuzu. It was the past and I know you've learned from it."He tried to form a sly smirk. "Or was it rather hard for you to forget it?"

"You don't know anything," Kakuzu answered, vexation obvious in his tone and gestures. "Human nature may fail you at times."

"Said the man who said who would never fail his own village..."

Kakuzu snapped – he suddenly charged towards Ōnoki, eyes determined to end the life of the small devious imp that threw nonsense babbles at him.

"Stop, Kakuzu, or more of your _hearts _will stop beating."

Kakuzu stopped dead in his tracks. He felt the gravity of the statement, the feeling of doubt suddenly clouding the justice of his action. Ōnoki projected too much authority in such an old age that made him rethink of his next set of moves. With the impressive way of being able to destroy two – _two _– of his hearts in a single blow, Kakuzu was sure that the old man was more than serious enough in being capable to destroy _more_. "Even though you outnumber me, there will still be more of us to handle you."

"I don't know if you're trying to stall what is inevitable, or trying to make a false hope out of the ineptness of your mind, Kakuzu." Ōnoki stated, his eyes narrowing towards the Akatsuki member. "My mere presence here just proves to you that Takigakure had lost the war it started – a war your village will not even win. Takigakure had been overwhelmed because you _overstepped _the line by including _our _village in your reckless imprudence." The Tsuchikage sounded very annoyed and somehow angry. "I tell you – I rarely make actions that would risk my people. But there would be times that I needed to be firm on something."

"You––" Kakuzu was starting to speak when he was cut-off by the still talking Ōnoki.

"By the way, I will gladly inform you that your _secret _guard that has been tailing most of my ninja inside Takigakure had just been recently held off by some of my fellow Iwa-nin. I don't wish to point out what is obvious, but Takigakure has been indeed in the grasps of Iwagakure." Ōnoki said, looking disdainfully at Kakuzu. "From the past information that I got, it seems that he is called by the name 'Hidan.'" The Tsuchikage scratched his beard in a wise man-like manner. "He might as well have been _outnumbered _as you are."

"You… What did you do?" The question had come from Kakuzu, and it surprised Ōnoki and the others. The statement was full of emotions – ones that couldn't be distinguished unless one had felt the same before. It was full of dissatisfaction and defeat, and, at the same time full of curiousness and questions that one could infer that he was asking the whole story of how the hell everything happened. If one could convey multitudes of emotions in such a brief statement, then everyone would need not to suffer into the vagueness of human verbal communication.

"I should have known from the start," Ōnoki started. "If I just looked deeper into my thoughts, then I should have known that it was _you _from the start." The Tsuchikage said, trying to go near the Akatsuki member but maintaining a very safe distance away. "From the moment Naruto handed me that Taki forehead protector, I knew it was you, Kakuzu. You are the only one who will be capable of doing this to Takigakure. You are the only person I know who can do much for one village faster than anyone else. I know it is you, because I know, within our lifetime, you will be returning to the village that you once _cared _for."

"Takigakure isn't the same as before. And I wasn't the Kakuzu people knew from the past." Kakuzu quickly answered, trying to control his fit of anger and hatred to the old man who was raising some _taboo _topic for him. "It was very different, and the past cannot be returned and repeated. It was a thing that better remained as a memory – a history perhaps."

"But the Shodai Hokage was correct back then, am I wrong?" Ōnoki replied. "If you have just listened to _him _or to _me_, then you should have not suffered that you experienced years ago."

Kakuzu could not answer.

"If you have just believed in me back then, if you have just believed that your own fellowmen were conspiring against you, then everything should have been in the right course right now." Ōnoki continued to speak. "The plan to assassinate the Shodai Hokage was a false attempt raised by your village elders to get rid you off Takigakure. Because they knew that your love for your village had blinded you from looking at the significance of the things you would do for your Taki, they'd used your very compassion against you. You overlooked things back then, to the extent that you indeed challenged Konoha's First Hokage into a fight that was destined for you to lose." The Tsuchikage spoke, his eyes looking empathically towards the Akatsuki.

"It was a needed task for the village,"

"That was what you believed in the beginning of your mission," Ōnoki said. "Kakuzu, you were the hope of Takigakure back then, and the village elders looked at you as a threat into their power. Iwa, Taki, and the newly-formed Kusa were beginning to have some mutual commitment to each other, and that was because of your effort in the old times. This was seen as the very foundations of your powers by the elders, and they created the plan to eliminate you even before you could rise into the hearts of the people." The Tsuchikage looked at the mystified faces of both Naruto and Obito. "The Shodai Hokage from back then had quickly perceived this intention lingering in your back, and he tried to persuade you, right?"

"_The mind can be poisoned by beliefs but it can heal. But once the hearts starts to believe on something, it will hold on to it without fail. Kakuzu, do not look into what you're being told, but to what you see." A ninja clad in red armor gazed into Kakuzu with a frown. "The heart's chastity and belief is one of the weakest spots and most of the time people try to corrupt the heart. Kakuzu, nothing will be lost if you stop now."_

"The village elders had paid for their treachery." In all of a sudden, Kakuzu's voice suddenly turned serious and murderous. "I'd kill them and got their heart for my personal purposes. They'd served me well. Takigakure had been a waste, and it got so lucky that it was me that needed to raise it from nothing. Everything is going anew, and some old things are needed to be destroyed.

"A tainted heart is a permanent corruption." Kakuzu charged again in random, sending with him the last remaining mask that stood with him. The Akatsuki member had a final decision. It was either he was going to die, or he was getting more hearts as replacement for what he had lost.

Ōnoki would have no other choice.

Takigakure needed to be _theirs_.

"Dust Release: Detachment of the Primitive World Technique!"

* * *

Sasuke looked disgruntled at the severed head in the floor. The head was still babbling after it had been cut off from its body. If Sasuke had the time, he would have been under the trance of shock. But there was no time for him to be amazed by the wonder of immortality being shown by Hidan, who had equated the meaning of eternal life as supreme annoyance. How Hidan could even talk with his head away from his body, Sasuke could wonder less. What was more important was that his task in the tower was done – Hidan could make no trouble than destroying the eardrums of ninjas near him.

Hidan's curses hurt more than his attacks, Sasuke noted that to himself, as a thoughtful reward for him being able to stand the loud voice of the ninja.

Because Hidan was already causing Sasuke a headache because of his random babbles, Sasuke decided that if he could take out the brain of the annoying head, then maybe it could remain silent _forever_.

He moved closer to the head, suppressing an idea to kick it like a ball. Hovering the pointed tip of his katana directly into Hidan's forehead, Sasuke prepared to make the final plunged that would remove the life of the bodiless ninja.

"Sasuke-san," the ANBU with him suddenly spoke, attracting the stingy eyes of the Uchiha. "That is not necessary for your part. Tsuchikage-sama requested that Hidan remains alive. Ōnoki-sama believes he _might_ still partake at _something_, right, Sasuke-san?"

Sasuke looked back at Hidan.

He was royally pissed.

* * *

Takigakure had fallen.

But, somehow, the Godaime Hokage wasn't sure of the implication of the news.

There was something bigger coming.

And she knew Konoha must be prepared for it, for she received another message in a paper that came from Iwagakure, and it greatly bothered her.

Tsunade was only _bothered _when something so serious was going to happen.

And the very _warning _rested in her hands.

* * *

**- ****End of Chapter **-

Finally, I'm trailing at the end. One or two chapter left, and I'm done with this story.

Good day, minna-san.


	23. Predicaments

**Author's Message/Note: **Final chapter would be posted next time. Thank you for reading this story until this part. It makes us writers feel good when somebody reads our works until the end. Thank you very much!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 22 – Predicaments**

"Feldspar-san, I recommend you to change your itinerary from this point on." One Iwa ANBU appeared in front of a huge group of ninjas walking away from the inner ring of Takigakure.

The Konoha ninjas were becoming tense of the sudden appearances of random Iwa ninjas lingering in and about the village, which always brought them into a defensive position even though being escorted by the _almost _hospitable Iwa ANBUs. After being assured that every one of the Iwa ninjas appearing without warning meant no harm, it was the only then they would relax. Hell, even though how much they tried, it wasn't easy to remain calm in the middle of ninjas who came from some other village!

Feldspar threw a questioning look over the newly arrived Iwa ANBU. Even though it was annoying that some arbitrary ninjas – especially an _ANBU_ – jut into the whole picture, Feldspar would have not enough chance for him to take into defensive and act in authority. Being an ANBU in Iwa was much very different than those of the other village – in Iwa, it was a _dire order _to wait for an explanation before rushing things. For a ninja to work harmoniously with other ninjas, he had to be patient into listening to sides before acting things. It was the way how it worked with Iwa, and the ANBU were fanatics of everything ordered by the Tsuchikage.

Even though how much displeasure he felt when another ANBU blocked his way – thus the slower accomplishment of his missions –, Feldspar needed to have time to know the reason of the other one. "What is it?" Feldspar asked in a very serious tone. "To whom you are reporting to?"

"I was from Pumice-san, but I got transferred to Earth-san for an immediate announcement." The ANBU answered, making use of the codes that they got even before they got into the village. It was different into the naming regimen of ANBUs, where ninjas got name of different animals for name designation. Iwa also used the same naming pattern, as Feldspar recalled. But for the special mission that involved making war with another village, the Tsuchikage decided to use some other naming guide for his force. "It is a message that needed to be disseminated _immediately_."

"Earth-san?" Feldspar asked, repeating the name. "Very well, what is it that required us to change our paths?" _Earth-san, huh? _Feldspar thought to himself after asking the question. _Tsuchi himself, the great __Ōnoki-sama himself_.

"There have been some _minor _event that required his instant action _towards _here in Takigakure," the ANBU informed Feldspar, which greatly surprised the latter. "He is requesting the Konoha ninjas to take a safer route. There are trivial resistances that are still scattered throughout the place, and he is requesting that Konoha must be taken into safe locations."

"The Tsuchikage went inside Takigakure?" Feldspar asked, the surprise in his words very audible. He eventually didn't mind the latter part of the announcement made by the ANBU, instead very alarmed at the mere attendance of Ōnoki inside the village walls. "And why is that?"

"There have been people that got undermined by the power of the enemy. The Tsuchikage is rather _adamant _into making sure that the ninjas sent to fight the head of this village will stay alive." The ANBU answered, peering at the faces of the Konoha ninjas, since most of the ninjas wore uninteresting masks that covered most of the faces. "It's already known to most; _Kakumo_ made another point into the face of the Tsuchikage."

The name easily registered in his memory. "_Aa_, Kakumo-san tends to put Tsuchikage-sama's life into insanity. What has he done this time?" Feldspar asked, feeling amused that the name of Kakumo had sprouted again into the ranks of the ANBU. From the time that he had become ANBU, Kakumo was the name that had been loitering around the positions of the ninjas. Being new within the Tsuchikage's force, Feldspar had no information regarding the person. He had only heard some random comments about the man – that he was the only person who could drill into the head of Ōnoki without being _truly_ hurt at all, and the man who had opposed an order from the Tsuchikage without being apprehended. After all of the comments about the man, Feldspar made an assumption from himself – Kakumo was a _pain in the ass_.

There was only one thing left for him to be able to experience the fullness of being an ANBU, Feldspar noted as a newly installed ANBU guard to the Tsuchikage. There was a saying that always went among the ranks – 'being an ANBU served two things. One, you must be loyal to the Tsuchikage at all cost. Two, you must hear _Kakumo _whine at least one time.' Curious about the second statement, Feldspar still waited for the opportunity to know who that Kakumo was.

It was night when Feldspar knew the mystery known as Kakumo.

_The door blast open, revealing a ninja wearing the standard Iwa-jounin uniform. The man gazed around the room, checking for any signs of life aside from the Tsuchikage who was seated in the center of the room. __Ōnoki_ _just observed the form from his seat, sighing as he recognized the one ninja who had the courage to slam the door upon entry._

_Feldspar was hiding somewhere within the room, a surprised expression suddenly plastered in his face. He suddenly shifted into an attacking position, ready to attack the mindless ingrate that entered the office without official notice. He was preparing to move out and meet up with the reckless ninja, but a hand stopped him from moving._

"_You should not move irresponsibly," his senior ANBU told him. "I knew I should have warned you about this one." The ANBU continued to talk, startling him._

"_You slimy inconsiderate old man!" The newcomer instantly shouted, attracting the gazes of the ANBUs in hiding. "Why do you need to do that to those poor ninjas?! Have you ever lost mercy?!"_

_Feldspar sent a distressed gaze towards his senpai. It was pure disrespect to the Tsuchikage, and Feldspar felt the terrible need to suppress the mouth that continued to disregard the authority of his kage. If his older ANBU companion wasn't there, he had already killed the man who took the liberty to just enter the room without warning._

"_Kakumo," Ōnoki called, "What is it now?" The Tsuchikage looked tired, moving his pen away from his present task. He repressed the urge to hold his temple in the sudden pain being formed by the mere presence of the man._

"_Why can't you understand that you can't just kill people who stands in your way?!" Kakumo entered the room, hitting the table with a powerful bash that sent some of the Tsuchikage's paper flying away. Kakumo eyed the small old man, trying to at least kill the small flare of anger that told him to hit Ōnoki instead. He made a fist with his hands, closing his eyes in a tight shut. "You… y-you, you can't understand!" The aura of disappointment coming from Kakumo was so palpable that Feldspar knew how much displeased the man was._

_Kakumo moved his head away from the Tsuchikage, removing his hand as well from the table. He took some steps away from Ōnoki's table and put his hand slowly to his side. "Ah, old man, I'm sorry that I snapped out again." Kakumo dropped his head into a deep bow. As he raised his head again, Kakumo's eye turned into a nexus of realization – realization that the person he had just shouted at was the most powerful person in the village of Iwa._

_Ōnoki stood up from his seat and he moved nearer towards the standing Kakumo. Stopping three steps away from the man, Ōnoki looked deeply at Kakumo's eyes, his own eyes determined to know the reason why the younger male was having another round of his I-hate-everything-the-Tsuchikage-decides. "You are angry to what I did to those rouge ninjas?"_

"_Yes!" Kakumo suddenly shouted, but upon knowing that Ōnoki was now standing in front of him, he suddenly covered his mouth with his own mouth, apologizing very softly to his kage. "I just don't feel the necessity of killing them for being an enemy to our village."_

"_I see," Ōnoki answered, before he gave Kakumo a flying kick into his abdomen._

_Kakumo suddenly dropped into the floor because of the attack, and clutched his stomach in severe pain from the kick. "Y-you should s-see… and y-you al-always see," Kakumo spoke in difficulty but nonetheless continued, "but you always fail to _realize_ and _learn_!" He earned another attack from the Tsuchikage, now a right-handed punch directly into his face._

"_How many times have you been hurt because of your worthless rants, Kakumo?" Ōnoki answered, moving away from Kakumo and back into his table. "It was a worthy action for me to do," he told him, "their death is the only way to satisfy the wrongdoings they made against our village."_

_Kakumo slowly stood up from floor, supporting himself with his right hand while he used his left to hold his stomach. He glared towards the Tsuchikage, his eyes burning with passion to protect his own belief. "The war has ended; you must understand that the severity of your punishment does not equate with the errors they made. Please, do not relive the mistakes that we have done in the past. If we just try – if we will put effort – then we can accomplish true peace without having to take out the lives of people."_

"_It is you who does not understand." Ōnoki answered. "To attain peace, you need to take out the forces that start the fighting. I know we share the same goal, but we have different means. The effectiveness of erasing the culprits will be the best method to totally achieve the peace that we seek from the very beginning of life."_

"_What you are trying to do is to conceive more hate." Kakumo answered. "The more you try to erase the 'evil' that you claim to be, you only plant more hatred into their hearts, hatred that will remain sleeping in their hearts in this time. But, after some time, it will ultimately end into spilling up after years of being restricted inside the heart. A heart that harbors hate _secretly _is more dangerous that a heart who aims to hurt._

"_You cannot achieve peace through hate." Kakumo spoke before he turned to his back and started to leave the Tsuchikage's office._

"_You also don't learn," Ōnoki replied._

"_Perhaps… as long as you don't understand what I am trying to tell you, then I will also never learn how really painful your punishments are. Your punishments are empty threats against me, for what I say is true, and you know that I am true – you fear that my truthfulness will fight back against you one day." Kakumo said before finally disappearing from Ōnoki's sight._

_Feldspar didn't realize that he had been holding his breath along the development of events that happened inside the Tsuchikage's office. It was a silent battle – a battle of wills that only existed between the minds of people who had firm beliefs. As he sighed the air that built up in his system, Feldspar now understood the enigma that was Kakumo, the person who singlehandedly put himself into the head of Ōnoki. Kakumo was a very tough ninja indeed – firm in his belief and non-wavering, even at the sight of powerful ninjas, which included his own leader. Behind him, his senior ANBU was chuckling softly upon Feldspar's expression. The latter looked at him in slight vexation._

"_You now know who the hell this Kakumo-person is, and you now know why the Tsuchikage respects him more than the rest."_

"Kakumo-san is actually the reason why the need for this message becomes urgency." The ANBU answered. "He brought with him the Tsuchikage's favorite _pet _into the village, and so Ōnoki-sama was _forced _to protect his favorite ninja." The ANBU was reluctant to continue when he remembered that that Konoha ninjas were there too. "And there is more." The ANBU moved slowly nearer to Feldspar. He was to whisper something to him when he realized that there was a familiar painted face in the group. After remembering that it was the face paint done by one of Konoha's clan, the Inuzuka, he felt the necessity for secrecy.

He halted in his idea to whisper to Feldspar, instead releasing a scroll from his things and wrote something in a very quick manner. He handed the scroll to Feldspar, and observing the people near him, making sure that no one was trying to peek into the material. As he looked at Feldspar, the ANBU saw the instant surprise that was brought by what he wrote.

"Is this true?"

"Of course. Ōnoki-sama saw it by himself."

"Fine." Feldspar answered. He turned his back towards the Konoha ninjas. "My dear fellow ninjas, there seems to be some happening that required us to sway from out general direction. Believe me; you will wish to make a detour than to meet up with something _ugly_."

Yamato shot up a glance towards Feldspar. For an ANBU, '_ugly_' wasn't a normal term to be used.

* * *

"Hokage-sama, there hadn't been any official announcements, but it really does seem that Takigakure had been defeated in the war." Kurenai handed the reports to the Godaime. The jounin looked impassively towards her kage, trying to probe at the calculating eyes that were instantly appearing in the eyes of the woman. Kurenai was curious as to why the Godaime seemed to have been thinking deeply from the moment that she entered her office. _She may have been thinking more before we have returned_, Kurenai added in her thoughts, before shifting her attention to the stack of papers that were different from the others.

"What made you think so?" Tsunade raised her head from reading the scroll, and then continued to scan the material as she waited for a response. The Hokage remained emotionless as she read the whole thing, not making any reactions from the details of the war. In Kurenai's perception, the battle that almost took out half of Kusagakure was displeasing and simply too wrong, but the Hokage seemed not to mind at least the very little of it. There was something off about the Hokage.

"It's been almost a day that Takigakure ninjas had stopped attacking Kusa. It was also the timeframe when we have received the news that Iwagakure had declared war to Taki as well." Kurenai answered, still trying to assess her Hokage from a distance. "Reports were hazy, but reconnaissances being sent by Kusagakure were telling that the Iwagakure force was holding off their adversary without too many losses."

"Holding off without too many losses?" The Hokage looked back at Kurenai again, her hands totally off the mission scroll. She suddenly sighed, peering at the window at the side of the room, trying to imagine something that required her utmost and deepest thoughts. "I knew it." She just said, suddenly summoning a person inside the room, a collection of white hair instantly appearing beside Tsunade.

"Jiraiya-sama!" Kurenai exclaimed upon seeing another sannin in the room. "When have you arrived?" She asked, not minding if it seemed disrespectful in the perception of Tsunade.

"Kurenai, my arrival is kept in secrecy," Jiraiya answered in a serious tone, not the usual goofy voice that was his trademark. Kurenai could literally sniff the solemnity in his tone, and the aura that was being projected by the toad sannin was practically palpable in almost all ranges. "And I must have your word that you must not tell my presence to the others."

Kurenai darted her look towards Tsunade. "Hokage-sama?"

"Do what he says, Kurenai." Tsunade replied in the same tone as that of Jiraiya. "And you're dismissed."

Kurenai took her final bow towards the Hokage before going towards the door. With a final glance to the two people inside, she clearly saw the scrutinizing eyes of both the Fifth Hokage and the Toad sannin, shouting that she _quickly_ remove herself from their eyes immediately. There was something in the way Jiraiya stood and Tsunade look that told her that there was something to be discussed in secrecy, and Kurenai was a loyal ninja that would give the opportunity for them to do so. The only problem was that she didn't know if he could her tongue about the arrival of Jiraiya, the person who was reported to have been Naruto's companion in his _death_.

The door closed and Tsunade dropped her head onto the table.

"This could not be happening, Jiraiya." Tsunade said, looking at the stack of paper Kurenai was observing lately. "If the reports that came from Kusa and from the jounins I sent were correct, then it wasn't just Takigakure was preparing for war." She raised her head and locked her eyes towards Jiraiya's own. "Iwagakure was also already prepared in a sudden conflict. In other words, Iwagakure was also planning an invasion of its own."

"What you're saying must be weighed first. The implication of what you're proposing is grave." Jiraiya replied. "You're indirectly accusing them of causing an international conflict."

"It's the only logical reason," Tsunade answered.'

"It's possible," Jiraiya answered, although he sounded discontented with his own statement. "But I myself can't understand why the Tsuchikage would be planning on making war. If he does, then what would be his reason?" The sannin asked Tsunade.

Tsunade contemplated with the question hurled by Jiraiya. His old teammate made a point. What reason could Iwagakure have if they were to go to war? What would be the point of making war? The Godaime Hokage stared at the stack of papers on the table, thinking deeply of any related things regarding the question posed by Jiraiya. Iwagakure was one of the strongest ninja villages in the elemental countries. It did not have any problems regarding its economy or its force, since it is one lucky village that got the support of the daimyo of their country. Even though secluded by mountainous and rock-strewn location, Iwagakure was as strong – or _possibly _stronger – as any of the ninja village, their leader being a wise and determined man as he was. Iwagakure also had the largest number of ninja in the elemental countries.

Tsunade returned to her present mind after lining out the things that she still knew from the reports about Iwagakure. With all those things, Tsunade couldn't create her first conclusion, since the evidences laid in her mind were pointing out on one thing – Iwagakure could be satisfied with its own. They didn't need any more things for them to invade and acquire more things for them to be satiated of their own needs.

_Unless…_

Tsunade suddenly stood up from her seat and kicked away the said seat in notable hurry. She quickly dropped down into the floor and approached the drawer that was located far lower in the table. She hastily bit her thumb and smeared it on the front. Feeling satisfied that the invisible seal had been unlocked; she pulled the drawer open and revealed the very few contents of the wooden case. It only contained two items, and Tsunade quickly pulled out the topmost envelope. She looked at the back of the envelope and scanned the letters written in it. Knowing that she got the right one, she stood up and placed the thing on top of the table, opening it with almost careless hands.

"What is it?" Jiraiya's surprise by Tsunade's sudden action was already cleared when he asked the question.

"The drawer in the bottom is where the missions that the Sandaime kept are located," Tsunade answered, a very small and faint image of his old sensei forming in her mind. "It is where the most dangerous missions are kept."

"The Sandaime hid missions?" Jiraiya asked. "Is that even possible?"

"I don't know," Tsunade answered as she gazed over individual sheets of papers found inside the envelope. "Turtle told me that when Hiruzen-sensei was still Hokage, he, together with some _unknown attendant_, segregated some mission scrolls that he deemed necessary and _dangerous _for his ninjas." She explained, almost using the exact words that the ANBU told her. "He collected those that are dangerous but not necessarily important."

"I see…" Jiraiya answered, peeking over the envelope. "But aren't those dangerous type of missions the ones who are the _most important_? You know… the danger weighs its importance."

"Well, I haven't encountered a dangerous mission that reason is highly trivial." Tsunade answered. "But you do know Hiruzen-sensei values the life of our ninjas despite the deep necessity. You should have not been surprised to know this." She said, after she had sorted out the papers that was compiled in a manner of increasing importance. After she continued to rummage through the heap, Tsunade was finally able to find the heading of the official paper – the one she thought of as soon as ideas suddenly rushed into her mind. "Got it!"

She quickly repositioned her chair and sat in it, her eyes intent in reading the content of the material. Jiraiya, feeling compelled that he too must have some knowledge of what his former teammate was talking about, moved nearer to Tsunade, peering over her shoulders to take a look at the paper. Jiraiya quickly noticed the seal on the top-rightmost corner of the paper – the sign of the Country of Fire – which he deduced to have come from the Fire Daimyo himself. Lowering his gaze to the piece, he quickly noticed the lack of any formality of a simple mission scroll. In fact, Jiraiya had quickly subdued the idea that it had been a mission scroll. As he scrutinized the whole paper, he realized that it had never been a mission scroll – it was a formal message that came from the Daimyo himself.

Knowing that Tsunade had read more parts already, Jiraiya decided to ask what was the content.

"This letter shortly came from the Fire Daimyo after the death of the Yondaime Hokage, almost sixteen years ago." Tsunade answered, sharing origin and age of the paper. "In here, the Daimyo is asking Konoha to perform a reconnaissance and spying mission over the Earth Country." After saying the last part, Tsunade felt that the hair at the back of her neck stood up in a sudden shiver. As her eyes continued to drift into the material, she finally caught the reason of the seeming distressed tone of the whole letter. She stopped for a while.

"Why is it that he had asked the Sandaime to do such thing? The ninja world had just recovered from the casualties of war back then." Jiraiya said, feeling curious as to why Tsunade's expression turned from surprise to grim. "What he'd said?"

"According to the Daimyo's letter, he and the other daimyos from the other elemental countries, especially the Wind and Lightning Daimyos from their respective places, were becoming more uncomfortable at the idealism of the Earth Daimyo in the passing years. He said that when they would convene for something political or economical, the Earth Daimyo would often relay his idea that he wanted to _expand _the lands of Earth Country." Tsunade told Jiraiya.

"So you mean that the mission was to _spy _the Earth Daimyo? To be able to know what he was really planning or thinking?" Jiraiya asked. "That is too _bold_, considering that Earth Country seemed not to be largely affected by the last war."

"That is perhaps the reason why the Sandaime didn't accept the mission," Tsunade spoke. "But think about it; if the other daimyos' distraught was true, then we have just uncovered one possible progenitor of conflict." She said with pure confidence. "The leaders of the elemental countries are aiming to gain peace over the land – if the Earth Daimyo is as well as a firm believer of peace and tranquility, then he should have done something to stop Iwa from doing such thing."

"You have a point. There has been a movement of the idea of the daimyos to attain peace. If the Earth Daimyo intends to keep that, then Iwa must have been kept at bay." Jiraiya replied, but suddenly sent a troubled gaze towards Tsunade.

"What?"

"What are we going to do about it?" Jiraiya asked. "If a Daimyo is involved, then our actions might be better more careful than just confronting another kage."

Tsunade mulled over the recent knowledge and developments.

* * *

"Kakumo–– I mean _Obito_-ojisan," Naruto called the other one as they jumped over the branches of the trees outside the walls of Takigakure. "I wanted to ask you this before, but why did you give your _eye_ to Kakashi-sen-_sensei_?" Naruto wanted to slap his face because he had told himself that he would never call the Copycat ninja his sensei again. But his slip of tongue happened more frequently when he finally knew that Obito and Kakashi were old acquaintances.

"He lost his left eye… and that was because of me." Obito answered, readjusting the unconscious body that he was carrying in his shoulders. "I don't want him to think that I am burden… until that very moment that I thought would be the last. I always wanted Kakashi to see me as a dependable teammate, not just a load in the group." Obito answered, the pain that used to appear whenever he relieved that memory gone. Maybe the knowledge that Kakashi already discerned that he was living was the thing that cleared up his conscience. After all, when he knew that he was alive, he wanted to tell Kakashi that he was, but due to the circumstances it was unpermitted. Obito slightly smiled.

"I just couldn't understand, ojisan." Naruto frowned. "Why help if you're already _dying _that time?"

"Naruto, once we get back to Iwa, I will shove a kunai up in your ass," Obito said with pure seriousness that it brought Naruto the feeling that his ojisan was angry to him. Even though how comical the sentence was to say it that way, there was an eerie sensation that formed due to the suddenness of the voice. "You're a big hypocrite, Naruto. You ask me why I still wanted to help other people in the time of my near-death, and you haven't realized the answer yourself."

Naruto whirled his head towards the direction of Obito, curiosity and confusion lingering in his eyes. "What are you saying, Obito-ojisan?"

"Let me ask you this… You are inside an enemy hideout, your left hand tied in a metal chain while your right is still free. Team Obsidian was slowly carried inside and they would be executed in the most brutal way in front of you. What will you do?" Obito asked.

"Hell, I'll save them!"

"And how is that, my boy?"

"Then I'll cut my hand if that what is needed for me help them––" Naruto was cut-off from speaking when he heard that Obito was chuckling. He also nearly tripped to some jutting branches but quickly regained his stature and held the unconscious body closer and tighter. "What's so funny?"

"I've expected you'd answer that," Obito replied. "It's really you, Naruto. Just like me, you tend to risk everything just for you to make sure that the safety of others be maintained. I gave my eye to Kakashi because I wanted to help him even at the very last of my breath. I wanted to help the people I treasure the most and I would not want to fail them. My eye… the eye that has been my gift to him… Actually, I am more than happy that I gave it to him. He has further use for it than I do." The Uchiha smiled again. "After all, he was _almost _my _closest _friend; I don't want him to see dead."

Naruto and Obito continued moving through the thick forest, aiming to go away to the possible locations Kusa or Konoha ninjas might take. In the ensuing appearances of many different ninja, Obito and Naruto had asked the Tsuchikage to take away the Konoha group that he had asked to be escorted out of Taki, since it might be possible that they might see Kakashi being carried in an unconscious state – not a good sight to see. And so they'd asked the power of the Tsuchikage to pave their ways and to detour the Konoha convoy being escorted out of the Village.

"You can put me down now, Obito…" The weak voice of Kakashi suddenly sounded, making Naruto and Obito look at the body being carried by the latter.

"You should be happy that a top-notch ninja like me carries you!" Obito answered, his eyes crinkling into a smile that he never had before upon his arrival in Iwa.

"I have two feet to move with my own…"

"Fine." Obito stopped hopping over the tree branches and suddenly dropped Kakashi down the wide wooden branch. Kakashi didn't have the time to make a move that would save him; instead he let gravity perform its act on him. The anterior part of his body slammed into the wooden flooring, the sound of the crash audible ten feet away.

"You should at least have the decency to take me down in a well-mannered way…" Kakashi said as he massaged the bridge of his nose, positioning himself into a sitting position. His eyes caught the sight of Naruto, which brought his whole body in a tensed posture. "Naruto…" He called out the name of his former student.

"Hey, Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto waved his arm weakly; his anger towards the jounin seemed not to have overtaken him.

"Are you fine now?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Oh Kami… after carrying you all the way here, you should have also asked the person who brought your lazy ass!"

"Obito, why bring me here?" Kakashi threw Obito a serious question.

"We cannot let your companions know that we have asked your help in fighting Kakuzu. We don't want some conflict arising, ne?" Obito answered, summarizing their act into two sentences.

"But why not just leave me there?"

"No." Obito answered, his voice thundering with sudden vexation and _worry_. "I can't leave you there. I told you that I want to protect you from the wrath of the Iwa ninjas, especially the Tsuchikage. I don't want them getting you in their hands." Obito stretched out his hands towards Kakashi, waiting for the silver-haired ninja to accept it. "I brought you far away from Iwa as not to let them get a hand of you, and to evade the eyes of your companions. It would be better for us if the whole story that they would know was that you remained fighting _outside _the village."

Kakashi slowly crept out his own hands and accepted Obito's own. The latter quickly pulled him out from sitting and helped him stand. Silence lingered around the place, making Obito and Kakashi awkward of each other.

"This is it, I guess," Obito spoke. Kakashi looked at him.

"I told you that it will depend to you if you're going to tell them that I and Naruto are _alive_." Obito Uchiha gave his old teammate a small comforting gaze. "I will leave you the decision if you're going to make either a _good _or _bad _news out of it. It is up to you to decide our fates in Konoha or Iwa." The Uchiha ended his statement and turned back, facing Naruto. He started walking.

"Obito,"

The man looked back.

"Will this be the last time I'm seeing you?"

"All I can say is that I'm going to live because I'm going to make sure Naruto stays safe." _No, this will not be the last time, 'Kashi._

"Alright… But remember that I will protect him continuously as well… in Iwa or not." _I'm expecting to see you again, 'Bito._

"Let's go, Naruto." Obito said. Upon saying that, the two Iwa-nins disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Kakashi looked out impassively, but deep inside, he was hurting deeply.

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

Thank you again for reading.

Next story is being prepared and edited for posting.

Good day, minna-san.


	24. Revelations of the First Motives

Changing Motives

**The Revelations of the First Motives**

From the very tall central tower of Takigakure, everything below looked like a miniature version of the village. Obito and Naruto was watching the scenes below, watching the ninjas of Iwagakure got into position and arranged themselves accordingly, while others were tending about the injured – Iwa ninjas or the captured Takigakure ones. Everything from high above seemed to look like a colony of ants; multitude numbers dotting the landscape of almost uncountable amount. The synchronicity of the Iwa ninjas made the whole view nice to see, since it was a spectacle to be able to make a large number of people move accordingly with a will.

But for Obito, it was unnerving. It was very, very unsettling for him, since the very sight of the Iwa ninjas that were marching randomly or jumping around the buildings were the very view of an invasion made out of a _wild _worry over one village. He hated the fact that there were too many ninjas in his sight – he would forever assume that a great number of ninjas would always mean a sign of _conflict_. And Obito was the pacifist who would destroy those who wanted conflict. For peace to come, he would like to be the irony of life itself.

He noted the arrival of someone, when he looked at his periphery, not letting Naruto see what he discovered.

"Ah, Naruto, would you like to see Team Obsidian?" Obito asked, looking at Naruto with a smile. "I heard before we left that they performed very well, even though they were outnumbered by those Konoha ninjas." He said, observing Naruto's shocked expression.

"What?" Naruto suddenly replied, worry masking his tone. "I thought I told them not to engage any Konoha ninjas?" He blurted out, not minding if Obito knew that or not. "I'll kick the hell out of those three for not following what I said!" He said, fisting his right hand into a sign of annoyance. "Where the hell are them, anyway?" Naruto's annoyance was clearly obvious, his face crumpling into a mixture of frustration and displeasure.

"I think they are together with the ANBUs assigned by the Tsuchikage himself." Obito answered, looking at the farthest left of the window. "They've been guarded by those ninjas by my request." Obito pointed out the general location, a collection of small buildings at the point where he gazed over. "You will find them there."

"Ah, Obito-ojisan, will you not come with me?" Naruto halted from his run when he noticed that Obito wasn't making any movements. "I think they will be glad to know that you've helped me fight an Akatsuki member."

"No, thanks." Obito waved his hand in a defensive manner. "Team Obsidian already _likes _me." He said – sarcastically. "I'm going to wait for the intelligence officer of this whole mission and brief him; you know, the Tsuchikage asked me to do that." He said, looking at the ceiling as if he was remembering something. "I need to update their information."

"I thought you've almost quitted being a ninja?" Naruto asked, curious.

"Now that I know Kakashi has been indeed stronger, I need to know who is more superior between the two of us." He grinned sheepishly, while scratching the back of his head. "I will not let Iwa be undermined by a simple _Copycat_."

Naruto grinned. He always wanted to see the competitive side of his ojisan, since he always came well when he was _hyped_ as he was. "Alright, Obito-ojisan. I'm going to meet Team Obsidian now and scrape their sorry little asses in the ground for not minding what I've told them. Ja ne!" He waved goodbye and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Obito sighed, hoping that his whole act was bought by Naruto. He needed Naruto away from the event that was going to happen at that very location because he didn't want the teen knowing the most different side of _Iwa_. He looked again at the side where he felt the presence of the newcomer that appeared some seconds ago. "You may come out now," he spoke out aloud, his voice booming into some deep and odd tone. "You're also here for that _intelligence head_, right?"

From the nothingness of the view, a morphing presence that seemed to come out from the blue appeared with the disappearance of a certain jutsu that meld the body into the background. With an almost invisibility cloak that shield the ninja from view, nobody could easily spot the person – unless someone had the _eyes _to see the _chakra_.

"Hai, Kakumo-san." The ninja answered. "I am very eager to talk to _him_."

* * *

Some Iwa medic-nins were tending the wounds of Team Obsidian in one safe part of Takigakure, where most of the ANBUs had taken defensive positions as per Tsuchikage's order. Team Obsidian was slightly wary of the sudden progression of events, but they kept their mouth shut when it was regarding the Tsuchikage. Even though how much Sumi wanted to ask the people around as to why _most _of the ANBU were there, considering that Ōnoki had left some time ago with only _too _few number of ANBU, she needed to remain silent if she also wanted to remain in peace.

"Ouch," Moko suddenly hissed, catching the attention of Sumi and Nebi instantly. The older one quickly noticed the other two's eyes and apologized hastily. "Sorry…" He mumbled, lowering his gaze to avoid the observing eyes of the medic-nin tending to him.

"Hisoka-san, you're attention is being called." An ANBU suddenly approached the medic-nin that was helping Moko. The said person looked with disparagement towards the ANBU before letting go of Moko's hand. He shifted his position and left Moko some feet away to see the ANBU.

"What is it, ANBU-san?" Hisoka answered, readjusting his surgical blade in his side pocket. "Have I done something wrong?" He asked, his tone irritated since his work was being intervened by a meddling ANBU.

"There have been some reports that the recurrent _insurgency _within the Iwa ninja ranks are happening again." The ANBU said smoothly, his deep and dark tone without fail. "We are tasks to guard this invasion force against the insurgents and protect the _consistency _of the ninja ranks."

"ANBU-san, I don't like your tone." Hisoka answered, eyeing the ANBU dangerously. ANBU or not, a medic-nin wasn't just an impassive person that would let himself be indirectly harassed by some random ninja. "Are you saying that I am _part _of this _insurgency_?" The medic-nin's voice was dangerous. "ANBU-san, let me just remind you that you can't easily accuse somebody of a case of that degree." His eyes narrowed. "Especially if it's a medical ninja,"

"Hisoka-san, to tell you the truth, I will not be confronting you if there aren't any evidences telling that you _might _be included in the recent events." The ANBU answered, finally breaking the ANBU's usual _passive _and cold communication pattern. "And may I just warn you as well that there will not be any questions upon confronting you because we have sufficient information."

"Then reveal it," he suddenly turned his back away from the ANBU. "I'll just be here, tending the injured." He continued to walk back towards Moko. "I'll be waiting for the information you are saying – I assure you that I will not leave here." He gave a final glare towards the ANBU before he took hold of Moko's injured arm again.

---

"Hisoka-san," Moko asked, "that's your name, right?" He said, looking at the medic-nin but observing the ANBU who stood impassively at the spot where the ninja left him. "He's still looking at you."

"Don't mind him," Hisoka answered. "I don't fear the ANBU." He said straightly, without any change in his facial expression. "Actually, I _pity _them."

"Pity?"

"They are the pawns of the Tsuchikage… the closest weapon the Tsuchikage can wield in the times of need. I don't hate them for what they are but instead pity them for what they have become. It is already a terrible choice to be a ninja, and being an ANBU doesn't do anything better than that." Hisoka said while his glowing green arm continued to scan Moko's hand. "Being an ANBU means that you need to remove your emotions out of you, removing the very chain that held our humanity. Being an ANBU means becoming the perfect tool for the kage, an unwavering person that must not fear death. Well, they should be pitied..."

"You seem to have a very deep understanding of him, Hisoka-san." Moko commented.

"Of course," Hisoka smirked. "I'm a medic-nin."

"_Eto…_ Hisoka-san?" Sumi suddenly entered into the conversation, drawing the attention of the medic-nin. "If it's alright to you, may I ask you something?"

"Speak,"

"What _insurgency _the ANBU talking about?" She asked, blushing since it was obvious that she eavesdropped with the conversation. "I'm not just intruding but… I've been aware of this news. My family has been part of the ninjas of Iwa, and they were frequently talking about this." She paused for a while and wore a serious face. "Can you tell us what this is?"

"It's not as serious as it sounds," Hisoka answered, as he pulled a long gauze from one of his pack. "The news about this insurgency is as common as a gossip in the marketplace. It really is not serious, but it being common is what makes it somehow worthy of attention." He revealed an antiseptic from a separate pack, together with a bunch of cotton balls. "Actually, this insurgency group is still subject for _discovery_."

"What do you mean by that?" Moko asked, wincing at the smell of the antiseptic that started to permeate the air.

"From the words of my fellow medic-nins, the insurgency group is said to be a false group, an imaginary group that was created only by words of mouth." Hisoka responded.

"False group? You mean _nonexistent_?" It was Nebi who talked that moment.

"Yes." Hisoka put some antiseptic into the cotton balls and rubbed it into Moko's wound, earning the slight frown of the pained young man.

"If what you say is true, then how come the ANBU is suspecting you of being involved in it?" Nebi asked.

Hisoka looked at him with some deep set of eyes, as if calculating the younger ninja for any signs that he could only see. After some seconds of looking uninterruptedly towards Nebi, Hisoka suddenly smiled weakly and continued to answer. "You're Nebi, right?" He asked first and he received a curt nod from the other one. "You're a smart guy – I can see that in your eyes. You know, you don't have to ask me that question if you already know the answer."

"I see…" Nebi just responded, earning himself the disturbed expression of Moko and Sumi. With him seeing the faces of the other two, Nebi almost laughed in seeing the funny appearance, but kept his hilarity inside. He started explaining them what he and Hisoka were referring about. "I am thinking that if the ANBU was trying to suspect Hisoka-san of being involved in that insurgency group and Hisoka-san and the other ninjas are telling otherwise that this group doesn't exist, it only means that the ANBU and the _higher-ups _know something we don't."

"Tell me if I'm wrong, but are you saying that this group _might _really _exist_ by how the higher-ranking ninjas react to it?" Moko said, scratching the side of his cheek as a sign of being unsure.

"Yes," Nebi answered. "Although," he looked back towards Hisoka, "I'm still in doubt of why the ANBU is suspecting _you_, Hisoka-san."

Hisoka looked staggered for a while, after hearing Nebi's predicament. His eyes slightly faltered and looked towards the floor, as if trying to remember something that was embedded in the deepest recesses of his mind. After five seconds of thinking, he raised his head towards Nebi and spoke. "Because many think that medic ninjas are the frailest ninjas that can easily be swayed by new ideals. They always think of medic ninjas as the pawns that can easily be manipulated by different people of great charisma."

"WHERE THE HELL IS TEAM OBSIDIAN?!" A newcomer's voice resonated around the place, attracting the attention of most ninjas – ANBU, medic-nins, and normal ninjas alike. All of them turned their face to the burning blond that walked unceremoniously among the crowds, with an expression that can burn ice in an instant and can freeze the raging fires of hell itself. With the recognition of the voice, members of Team Obsidian suddenly paled while looking at the far off distance, wishing that what they thought about that voice was truly wrong.

Nebi dared – _dared_ – to look at the source of the voice, only for him to meet the almost red-specked cerulean orbs that came from the one of the most loudmouthed blond of Iwagakure. His nervousness was suddenly outbalanced by his curiosity as he felt some difference in the person's chakra, and the unnoticeable change in his eyes. The red specks seemed to grow in number, but would suddenly decrease, the crimson and blue trying to outnumber each other. With his growing curiosity, he failed to look away from the man, only for him to be hit with a very powerful _smack _in the head.

"You three!" Naruto exclaimed. "What were you doing fighting those Konoha ninjas?!"

"But, Naruto-senpai… we didn't." Nebi answered, almost stuttering. "They attacked us first."

"I don't care." Naruto replied immediately. "You could have just evaded them."

"But we made a good fight against them, Naruto-senpai." Sumi responded. "We held them off."

"You could have died out there?!" Naruto almost yelled again. "What if you... _died_?" Naruto said, his voice trailing off in the most unnatural low tone the young man could have. Team Obsidian could easily feel the distress in his tone, the loneliness of losing someone clearly saturating the air around him them.

"Naruto-senpai, you don't need to worry about us too much." Nebi said. "We can take care of ourselves."

"You don't understand." Naruto replied. "You've never felt how to lose someone important to you! You've never felt the pain of losing someone that is deeply close to your heart." He said with his tone greatly disturbed, his face twisting into some unexplainable mix of sadness and misery. "Why do you want to feel that kind of pain?

* * *

Three people stood without any movements for almost ten minutes now, each trying to estimate another's present thoughts and emotions. Their eyes flung from one's eyes to another, moments present that one would catch another. That was a passing moment of silence, but the air was heavy saturated with thoughts and words wanting to be spoken out aloud. None of the stares were wavering; instead, as the seconds came, their intent looks were becoming more intense and serious, wanting more attention from the people they could only trust.

"Is it true?" The first voice roared among the group of three people. "Is it true that we've been _breached_?"

Black orbs of almost innocent eyes turned into red, sphere-matted crimson suddenly appearing.

"It's been becoming serious news upon the information from the intelligences. But, from the progression of the most recent developments, we can probably conclude that _they _know already." Another voice answered – no faltering tone, no nervousness. "It will be safer to assume that the _enemies _know something."

"I agree." Another answered. "But I must tell you that I am surprised to know that this matter hasn't reached me these past days." He sent a questioning look at the other people, finding it normal that the others didn't wince at his gaze. "Or should I associate it with the war with Takigakure."

"The last one is the best answer, sir."

"Sir," the other one called. "I must ask from you of what will be our latest plans. Our adversary is becoming rather proactive into searching the roots of the supposed _insurgency _that is spreading within the village. We need to move _faster _than they are."

"I know," the one addressed with the higher status said. "We could not let them beat the Intelligence Division. We need to be the one facing the handling the _insurgency_."

The other two smiled vehemently.

"Of course; we are the _insurgency group_, Intelligence _chief_."

* * *

The fear of losing someone was one of the worst emotions to be felt, for it was one prickly sentiment that would always latch into the mind. It was something that seemed to be alive, a dark shadow that would constantly remind a person that there was an impending _doom_ – a future event that could inevitably lead into the loss of someone important. It was the feeling that could utterly destroy one's thinking capacity, for it was an almost living entity that whispered into the ear – it would whisper so close that one could feel shrill and the malevolence drifting in the face. It was like having a living reminder of someone would leave… someone would leave _permanently_.

It was the feeling that Naruto would certainly not wanted to sense _again_. It had tormented him long ago and he didn't want to reminisce the feeling of being tortured within the mind. He had felt the feeling of losing the precious people that he had, even though he knew they were still alive. _He _was the one going to _die _back then, but still _he _was still thinking of losing them. _He _was the one being targeted to be killed, but _he _could not help imagining the times he had his happiness being taken away from him. _He _was already dying, but what could he do if trying to see the faces of the people he held dear was the _only _reason for him to remain _alive_?

He looked at the faces of Team Obsidian – his collection of important people, some of the very people he wanted to protect. Why couldn't they understand that _he _wanted them to _live_? That they were _significant _to him? Why did they seem to have no idea of them being the very core of his life? That they were the thin thread he was trying to cling on? That they were his very line of salvation? Why could they easily risk their life in a snap?

Couldn't they understand that he just wanted to _protect _them? That he wanted to protect them so that he wouldn't lose them?

"Why can't you understand that I just wanted to protect you? That I want to protect you so that I will not lose you?" Naruto asked aloud, and he could understand if his eyes would break into tears.

"That is not _protecting_, it's being _selfish_."

* * *

Obito was left alone inside the tower, looking at the spots were some two people just stood lately some five minutes ago. He hadn't moved a single inch from his location since Naruto left him, but he didn't yet feel the strain of not moving. He continued to state silently at the spots, not minding the eeriness that he was releasing through the unnatural aura emanating from him. All that mattered in his head that time was thinking deeply. He needed all the time to reflect of the recent development that happened at the very same spot he was standing at. He needed the time to process the information that just came straight from the mouth of the intelligence chief and the other subordinate.

They were on the move, and they needed each other's cooperation.

But he was being bugged by a problem that he was trying to hide. He had practically hid it in front of most of the people, and he was trying his very best to hide it as well to Naruto. It was a problem that stemmed out years ago, and the _present _problem was trying to uncover it into the eyes of most of the people. It was a big problem that he would try to escape from now. And he would try to hide it as long as possible.

But his current situation was currently strangling him in the neck.

The insurgency group was indeed a real group that had been gaining in power the past years, and Obito was one member of the secret group that had been rattling under the Tsuchikage's nose. It was a covert _sub-group _running under the direct hands of the Intelligence Division, one of the strongest divisions serving under the Office of the Tsuchikage. It was a concealed group that was being protected even from the scrutinizing eyes of the Tsuchikage himself, since the Intelligence Division never wanted to be confronted by the old man.

As of Obito's own memory, the insurgency group was inappropriately named, since it totally negated the true nature of the group. Since the Tsuchikage was always assigning him to work together with the Intelligence Division, he had the chance to know about the insurgency group, and he'd known that it was a covert group that worked as an internal _spy _group stationed in Iwagakure itself. Its work was simple – eliminate the people that were a threat against the village. But since it involved killing the people that was living under Iwagakure – thus, its citizen – the people who had known of the assassination of the targets branded the group as _insurgents_, or rebels of some sort.

It had carried to many assassination missions that the death of many people in Iwagakure – some were high-ranking ninjas and other prominent civilians – and it actually attracted the attention of the Tsuchikage more than _once_. But due to the fact that _no one _was supposed to know about its real existence, it had slipped more than once from the eyes of the Tsuchikage, living to tell its tale to those who were targets of the group.

But Obito knew that not every group was perfect… there was no group that performed as it was wanted to be until the very last. There would always be something that could change it. There would always be some development that was out of the league. Change was an inevitable part of life, and it would affect everyone.

"Obvious motives are hardly to be trusted at all. For always there will be something hidden, and it is one thing that will drag you down once you aren't looking." Obito whispered to himself.

Nobody saw when he smiled grimly, as he thought of the next target.

"I told you," Obito continued to whisper. "_I'll take you down one day_, Ōnoki-jiji."

* * *

It was the clearest distinction between wanting some to be safe and _possessiveness_. When people wanted their important people to stay safe, they would do everything for it to come true, _but _would always remember that they could not hold every time _their _fate. They would always remind themselves that they could never hold the lives of their important people; that they must expect that there might always be a chance that they would be taken away. But when people became possessive, their minds would instead focus on their _own _feelings, not even trying to reach out what their important was feeling.

Possessiveness was a _personal _thought, not minding the feelings of others. Their senpai did want them to remain self, but what was his motivation for him to think that way? Did Naruto want them to be safe because he want them to continue living? Or did Naruto want them to live because _he couldn't take it for them to die_? That was _stupid_. He didn't want them to die because he would fall into the trance of sorrow and loneliness? It wasn't thinking of Team Obsidian's safety but it was their senpai thinking of his own feeling. To whom their senpai really was worrying for? Was it for them, Team Obsidian, or himself?

"That is not _protecting_, it's being _selfish_."

Sumi wasn't the speaker of thoughts among the group. It was usually Nebi who would often voice up his mind, since he didn't mind talking and he didn't put too much emotion in his tone. But it was a rare opportunity for Sumi to raise her thoughts, and it also surprised her that her mouth said that statement in its own accord. What made her talk that way didn't register in her mind, and she already had the thought to strangle herself because of the obnoxious claim. But there were parts of her saying that it was the right thing to say; that she needed to prove a point towards her senpai.

Naruto stared at Sumi, his mouth almost hanging open in pure surprise. Did she just say that he was being selfish? Did he just hear correctly the right words? Realization dawned quickly to him than he had imagined… Sumi was indeed correct. He was being selfish. He was treating Team Obsidian as if they were objects that belonged to him – _only _to him. It seemed that he hadn't treated them as humans but as objects. He seemed to have only looked at them as fragile objects that he would not like to break, just as to satisfy his likeness. He didn't want to protect them because they were important to him, but because he didn't want to be hurt.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Naruto spoke, and his voice sounded as if the world had rolled him flat to the ground.

Not knowing what would happen next and what words would be thrown, Naruto decided that it was better to leave… away from the eyes of Team Obsidian that had known the truth first than him. He didn't know if he had the right to remain comfortable with Team Obsidian, the group that he had been close to. It had hurt so much that Sumi was the one needed to tell him that he was being blinded by his own want to protect Team Obsidian. Naruto didn't know.

He turned away and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"_Mate!_" Team Obsidian was too late.

* * *

- **End of Chapter **-

Confused? You should be...


	25. End

**Author's message: **Good day, minna-san! I thank you for reading this story, Changing Motives, until this point. Probably, this is the last [official] chapter for this story. I'm really, really, thankful for those who have read my story and I'm happy for finishing it until this point.

I started this story at November 21, 2009 and I ended on March 14, 2010 - a good **113 days**. Well, that's not so bad a time span for a 100,000+ worded story, right?

Thank you again!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Changing Motives

**Chapter 23 – End**

More than two-thirds of the rogue ninjas were annihilated when Iwa had successfully captured Takigakure. In the ensuing fights, most of the rogue ninjas retreated to random locations, trying to evade the wrath of the Tsuchikage. Since they were the primary targets of the Tsuchikage from the beginning, they were being effectively wiped out, almost all of the Iwa invasion force being used to hunt down the escapees.

Takigakure, surprisingly, only lost a fifth of its whole ninja number – a good _two-thousand _ninja in estimate. Being held as captives and prisoners of the whole Iwa invasion group, Takigakure had simply been the largest prison in the elemental world, since it was being effectively used as a large cage to contain the Takigakure ninjas. But since the Iwagakure ninjas were treating Takigakure ninjas with a degree of _care_ – as per Tsuchikage's order – it was surprising to find out that no Takigakure ninjas were trying to at least resist with the most recent developments. The injured were being tended by the Iwa medic-nins and the ANBUs and the other capable ninjas were still guarding the whole village from attacks.

Shibuki was walking along the random corridors of the cold walls and dark illuminations of Takigakure, together with an ANBU escort trailing around with him. Technically, the war between Takigakure and Iwagakure hadn't been officially ended, even though it was clear that Iwagakure had won. Shibuki had already been briefed that the Tsuchikage's goal was to eliminate the rogues that were threatening Iwagakure for many months now, and he needed the Taki-Iwa war front so as to totally destroy that pesky ninjas around the territorialities of Iwagakure and Takigakure.

Shibuki didn't like it.

How could someone like to have his village be used as a façade for someone to do more things just to escape from the eyes of others? They'd been invaded three years before and it wasn't a good memory. All of their citizens were conscripted to be ninjas, and their village also became the spawning grounds of rogues since Kakuzu captured the whole village. All of them suffered so much under the rule of Kakuzu, his iron fist ready to kill people who wouldn't recognize his leadership. They'd been tortured; they'd been imprisoned, just for them to be taught the lesson of obedience. He especially endured more, since he was the lone spirit that could re-ignite the courage of Takigakure. He was kept away from his fellow citizen. He was kept hidden. Since he was the key – the hope of Takigakure – he was shunned from the eyes of many.

Who would like to experience another invasion from another village?

He continued to walk, repressing the thought to attack the Iwa ANBU with him as a retribution for being attacked while they were in their weakest – not that the ninjas produced by Kakuzu's rule was worthless – but their wills and heart as a _real _Taki ninjas had been burned and staked by the mockery done by the Akatsuki. They could have fought back, but they were too dispersed and weakened. He reflected, thinking of the possible future left for Takigakure. Would Takigakure have a future?

He saw an Iwa ninja looking confused, holding some sheets of paper on his left hand while scratching the back of his head with his free hand. For Shibuki, the ninjas was rather weird to be considered an Iwa shinobi – as long as he could remember, most citizens from Iwa had rather some brown hair, which ranged from light to dark. This one had some perfect black hair that matched his dark orbs – a rare feat from Iwa. When they were twenty steps away from each other, the ninja with the spiky black hair looked at him with some anticipation that he didn't expect.

Shibuki stopped walking as he saw that the other one was gaining a speed in his walk towards him. Once the other one reached his spot, he smiled to him and started to talk. "You're Shibuki-san, right?"

"Hai," Shibuki answered, hesitatingly. "What do you need of me?"

"You can call me Kakumo, Shibuki-san," the other one bowed curtly towards him. "I was sent here by a _messenger _of the Tsuchikage to send you a message." The other one said, before slightly turning his head away and muttering a 'Damn that old man for making me a messenger for his messenger', which Shibuki didn't fail to hear. "It seems that this matter is of serious degree, and he wanted the message to be delivered to you instantly."

"The Tsuchikage? I haven't seen him…" Shibuki replied.

"I'm sorry; I for one don't know where he is now." Kakumo replied. He started to hand over the topmost paper towards Shibuki, gently handling the fragile paper into the other one's hands. "Here… This is the paper that they wanted me to give to you as soon as I saw you."

Shibuki accepted the paper, instantly seeing the name of the Tsuchikage signed in the material. He scanned the paper from the topmost portion, not minding the minor details that always came with some formal letters. He drifted his eyes on the content of the message, digesting the most fruitful and meaningful parts that were noted worthy of his attention – the ones related to the condition of Takigakure and its people. After coming across the particular part of the message, his eyes suddenly widened in surprise and shot it towards Kakumo. "W-what is the m-meaning of this?" He asked, his mouth stuttering because of the overcoming shock.

"Hai, Shibuki-san," Kakumo answered, "Tsuchikage-sama wanted to hand over you the leadership of Takigakure, _under _the _direct supervision_ of Iwagakure."

"Don't," Shibuki lowered his head. "Don't use those words; I perfectly know what the Tsuchikage wants." He slightly raised his head, flashing a deadly gaze towards Kakumo. "He wanted me to become a _puppet leader _of Takigakure, for Iwa."

"That is the pessimistic way to put it, Shibuki-san." Kakumo answered. "But as an advice, it would be the wisest decision to protect the stability of Takigakure, although I don't like it."

Shibuki shot a questioning glare towards Kakumo. What was this guy trying to say?

"You have no choice," Kakumo continued to talk when he saw the eyes of Shibuki. "You are being held in the neck this time, and the choice that you'll be choosing isn't part of your personal decision. You are asked to choose because you are the _leader figure _that the people approve of. Honestly, I feel sympathy for you."

"It's surprising to hear that from an Iwa nin,"

"I may be an Iwa ninja, but my heart will always tell the same,"

The answer seemed to have provoked the ANBU guard of Shibuki, since he started to walk closer towards Kakumo. The latter was wary of the action and just observed how the masked figure came closer towards him. "Kakumo-san, I must note that your radical idealism is rather being _poorly _accepted. Please make sure that your words and minds are of the same side as of the idyllic of Iwa."

"I don't need your opinion, ANBU," Kakumo answered, his right eye suddenly transforming into the infamous pinwheel formation of the tomoes, a red background replacing the black irises. Silently, the ANBU fell towards the floor, his limp body almost lifeless.

Shibuki was more than surprised of what happened. "What did you do? Why do you have the Sharingan?!"

"I told you that I may be an Iwa-nin, but my heart feels differently." Kakumo answered. "In Iwa, I am always being reprimanded for having some different thoughts of how things must go, but I don't let them sway me into their ideals. The Sharingan… well, let's just say that my origin is most likely not of Iwa."

"But… then…" Shibuki was out of words.

"Shibuki-san, listen to me this time." Kakumo said. "Accept what the Tsuchikage is proposing you. It is the best choice you have right now, but I assure you differently in the future." He paused for a while, moving nearer Shibuki. "Actually, it may be better for you to play under the Tsuchikage's hands and move under his supervision. It will make you less oblivious. I know that you don't want to stay under a puppet government, but you have no more choices now."

"What are you trying to tell me?"

"In the future, we'll help you escape the clutches of the Tsuchikage."

"I don't believe that it will happen without something in return…"

"Shibuki-san, all we need is the pretext of your want to be independent again. We'll do the rest."

"You know… what you are doing is a direct incitement of uprising against your kage."

"That is already the plan…"

* * *

Kakashi was unusually silent went his group of fellow Konoha shinobi traversed their ways back to Konohagakure. Even though the Hatake was naturally silent, there were still the eyes of the people who could easily read the gestures and non-verbal cues being expressed by a person, which told them that there was something wrong with the Copycat ninja. Usually, Kakashi was _warily passive_ – silence being accompanied by extreme caution in every moves. But that time, it was increasingly obvious that Kakashi was being impassive, and it seemed that he was living in another world of his own, detached from the reality of his fellow ninja.

Kakashi was carrying a burden. And no one from his allies knew about it. He was carrying a burden that was indirectly handed over to him by Obito, and he perfectly realized that by accepting what the latter had told him was the same as being the foundation of errs and sins. It was already too late to discern that Obito had taxed him one of the greatest lies in the world, and he was being intended to be crushed by it.

He finally realized the reason why Obito was too carefree that his identity was exposed to him prematurely – Obito was so certain that Kakashi would not _dare _to tell the others that he was alive, and that he was now currently working in Iwagakure. Obito was so sure that Kakashi would protect his existence from Konoha, so as to save the last thread of peace that held the stability of the ninja world. Obito knew that Kakashi would not do it, since Obito knew that Kakashi's weakness would not permit him to expose him to them.

And Kakashi hated it that Obito was too damn correct that he would not admit that he was still alive – now that he had Naruto with him.

In short, Obito had never intended Kakashi to go back to Konoha without any retribution. He had heard it from his old teammate – he was angered by the fact that Kakashi wasn't able to protect the last legacy their sensei left in the world. He failed to protect Naruto when he was in Konoha, which left the young man to go into a different village. Obito was both willing to protect Kakashi from the wrath of Iwa, but the Uchiha himself prepared something _against _him. And now, Obito had left him one of the heaviest burden that needed instant decision.

What would he choose now? Would he choose his mission? Or the safety of both Obito and Naruto? Would he tell Tsunade that Naruto was alive and risk a _possible _war? Or would he hide it from Konoha in order to prevent a conflict?

In his thoughts, he could see Obito grinning at him, a silent mockery against the problem he had given him.

What would he choose?

* * *

Following the turmoil that had grown in the northeastern part of the ninja world, spy networks from different elemental countries restarted to function, trying to gather as much information regarding the reaction of the ninja leaders and daimyos. The apparent increase in their activity wasn't surprising, but the Hokage Office was already alerted of some abnormal movement of one of their spy network.

The spy networks scattered among the elemental countries directly held by the Hokage, and some constituents were handled by the Intelligence Division. But most of the informants that worked as spies in those countries were either _directly _or _indirectly _linked to Jiraiya, thereby making him the database of newest information regarding the spy missions. Because he was the person responsible for collecting the different information, he was the first one to be alerted in the difference from the normal pattern of one of the networks, particularly the one at Lightning Country.

"Can we relate it to some possible actions of Kumogakure?" Tsunade quickly inquired, as she observed the disappearance of the latest messenger frog from the table.

"No, I think not." Jiraiya answered, folding the paper containing the most recent information regarding the Lightning spy network. "It rather seemed that the Lightning Daimyo is the one making the sudden fuss in the country. I find it… unusual."

"Of course," Tsunade answered, folding her hands in front of her chest. "It's always unusual for a daimyo to make some sudden movements, especially of his troops. Most of them are samurai – hired or not. It will not be surprising if we find out that the daimyo have already contracted Kumo for his actions."

"But, Tsunade, something is clearly not right about this one." Jiraiya answered. "It almost tells us that they know something that we don't."

"The Fire Daimyo has sent us no message regarding this one, although the tension present in the capital is ever-palpable." Tsunade said. "What makes you think about that?"

"It's better to be cautious, Tsunade." Jiraiya responded. "Lightning Country boasts one of the largest numbers of ninjas, since Kumogakure is in there. The Kumogakure ninja force can rival that of Iwagakure's."

"Are you saying that Kumogakure is preparing for a _war _as well?"

"I don't know, Tsunade." Jiraiya bowed his head as he sighed. "But we do know that conflicts in this place always come in a chain reaction."

Silence dawned at the two people inside the office. Deep thoughts began to scramble inside their minds, imaginary scenarios being played in their thoughts. Both of the two sannin were thinking of the future events that would inevitably shape the history of the ninja world, and they had clearly no better idea of the development of all things. Due to the lack of information due to the sudden surprise that came, they were hard-pressed in discovering a proper trend to pinpoint the next event.

There was a knock in the door, followed by its slow opening. It revealed a lightly tall figure, whose head was covered with the seeming purpose of hiding what was under it. He had two scars running diagonally in his face, over his cheeks beamed with his angular jaws. He looked impassively at the two people inside the office, yet his eyes could not hide the anticipation and worry in itself. He moved closer to the Hokage's table and handed over a piece of envelope.

"Hokage-sama, we've finally made real contact of one of our people in Lightning." He said.

"That's good." Tsunade answered. "What do you have me now, Ibiki?"

"Hokage-sama, we do not know of the whole details, but our intel suggested that Lightning is being alerted for a possible attack." Ibiki answered. "We also have some information supporting that there had been a mass movement of Kumogakure ninjas towards Fire Country."

"What?!" Tsunade almost yelled. "Explain what you mean to me."

"We're still working on it, Hokage-sama. But due to the fact that continuous surveillance could led to the discovery of our personnel, I am afraid to tell you that the group Kumo ninjas that will be entering Fire Country is not being followed. They might enter the country freely with the use of a disguise."

"A possible attack? But they've put some ninjas inside Fire…" Jiraiya said, scratching his chin. "Perhaps they are trying to stop the attack… but that means that their attackers came from Fire."

"Fire and Lightning hasn't anything against each other." Tsunade affirmed.

"Chain reaction, Tsunade. Chain reaction…"

* * *

_._

_._

_"Obvious motives are hardly to be trusted at all."_

_._

_._

* * *

I am Uchiha Obito, one of the last Uchiha in the elemental world. I am here, standing alone at the outskirts of Takigakure, having the time to think alone of the things that had happened recently. I became part of Iwagakure during the Third Great Ninja War, as a prisoner first under the torturing of the Tsuchikage himself. After some years of living as a prisoner and pardon coming from the kage himself, I was eventually entered into the ninja ranks of Iwa – to serve the village that was my enemy at first.

I went actively with missions, each of them decreasing my hate and anger towards the Hidden Rock Village. I started to love the village and its citizens, a hidden wish for me to be able to protect and to serve the village that treated me as its own. I eventually become an accepted as an official Iwa citizen, a ninja always ready to serve the Tsuchikage in the time of need.

Some years after, I came across Naruto, the blond and loud ninja that originally came from Konoha. I had known that he had been travelling across different countries before he decided to stay at Iwagakure. He'd shared to me that he was a target for assassination some three years ago. He was helped by an anonymous person, and he travelled around the elemental countries for one year before settling in Iwa two years ago. He was a strong ninja, possibly because of the experiences he had gained when he was travelling all alone. Surprisingly, he didn't have any rage and anger towards Konoha, which was a great mystery to me.

All was well when the fate of Iwa and Taki met together… it was also the moment when Kakashi – my old teammate and rival – and I met again in the battlefield, as enemies.

It was the moment that entangled all our fates together, that of Naruto and me…

For now, I would just like to tell you the next event that would happen after Takigakure…

I am the conglomerate of all sins in the world.

For I am Obito Uchiha… I am Kakashi's pain.

For I will be the living ghost to torment the Copycat ninja… for him to be disabled. That will lead me into the weakness of Konoha itself.

More will happen – I know it.

Will the truth be known? But it is still too early.

Changing motives will prevent the discovery of the truth.

* * *

_An attack against Lightning? Hmm… That is proven to be interesting. Well, we wouldn't always know what will happen next, right? Kumogakure… interesting…_

_The Tsuchikage just relayed the plan to capture the territories near Iwagakure. __**Sunagakure **__will be next in the list. Nobody knows of this… yet._

_

* * *

**- **_**End of Chapter **-

**Note: **I intentionally left this chapter with gaps regarding the end of the story. Well, it's still part of the writer's strategy, right?

Thank you, everyone~!


	26. Epilogue: Bad Continuations

Changing Motives

**Epilogue – Bad Continuations**

"Now, Hokage." Naruto talked to the woman. "Shall we let the talk to continue or do you want Konoha _destroyed_?" The blond Tsuchikage waited patiently for the blond Hokage to answer his question. The question both came with the aura of peace and the destructive intent of threat. Naruto was sure that the question conveyed every statement that he would like to tell the other. The implications were surreal – the Hokage had no option but to choose something from the two selections. Choose one and Iwa would still win. There would be no more hindrances in achieving victory.

After all, they were already in the middle of the battlefield, and he could easily take hold of the Hokage as a hostage.

But damn Hatake Kakashi for being there. He was agrey _nuisance_.

As Tsunade knelt on the ground, she continuously observed the visage of Naruto. She could not move, since disbelief started to wash over her entire system. She couldn't understand why she was seeing Naruto in front of her. Did she miss something? She knew from the beginning that _six _years ago, Naruto _died_. And she was on depression for all those years since she had finally lost the final person that she could call 'family.' She was in total sadness when the blond sunshine that usually lit up her day was dead – and she knew that _somehow_ she _took part _in what happened to her blond _idiot_.

Letting her sadness took her sternness, Tsunade finally let her tears form in her eyes, streams of clear liquid rolling out on her cheeks. Even though at the moment she could not believe that it was indeed Naruto, she let her feelings reach its satisfaction of looking at the face of Uzumaki Naruto. It was six years that she hadn't seen her favorite blond – and it was enough for just to see his face.

_Why is she crying?_ Naruto thought to himself. As soon as his imagination worked for his mind, a conclusion was suddenly formed – Tsunade was feeling regret for doing _that _to Naruto. Naruto had partly – no – _totally_ blamed her for him being out of Konoha. It was the Hokage who ordered _that _mission to finally kill the Kyuubi vessel. After all those months that he had shared together with the blond sannin, Naruto was struck at heart that it was all lies. She thought that the woman had cared for him and she didn't care for what was inside him. But then again, regret would always come when it was too late. Tsunade _did _mind of the Kyuubi inside him. And with the coming threat from Akatsuki, she must had decided to finally cleanse out of Konoha one of its greatest threat. Naruto inwardly snickered. He was Uzumaki Naruto and he wouldn't be swayed by mere pity.

"Are you deaf or are you mute?" Naruto talked again, looking sternly at Tsunade. "The clock is ticking and I'm sure that you know Konoha is waiting for its _defeat_."

That brought Tsunade to her senses, as she knew that her blond would never harm Konoha. Tsunade was confident that if it was indeed Naruto, he would never let Konoha be conquered. Quickly thinking that it could be ploy the enemy was using to weaken her, Tsunade finally had her resolved and regained her composure. She stood up, dusting herself and looking straightly at the eyes of Tsuchikage. "You're not Naruto." She finally spoke.

Naruto was startled – like he would let them see – when the Hokage said it sharp. What made her think he wasn't _he_? As Naruto pondered on what could be the reason why Tsunade didn't believe in his identity, he was lucky to have seen Kakashi's face faltering as the Hokage continued to speak denial. He then smirked; there was _so much _that the Hokage had missed.

"Why don't you ask Kakashi?" Naruto said, his tone challenging Tsunade. He gave the grey haired man a sly look, and Kakashi took it as a sign that he would go down. "I'm sure that every _loyal _ninjas of Konoha would always inform their superior, right?"

Tsunade shot a glance at Kakashi, which made the latter wince in defeat. Seeing the meaning behind that gesture, Tsunade's anger finally shot up into an imaginable height. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Kakashi didn't like the look on Tsunade's face. He knew that in any moment, the Hokage could pound him into dust. But the justification of the act would be as equal as the _sin _that he had made against Konoha – and he was _damn _sure that his life wasn't enough to repay the negligence that he did. As proud as a Konoha ninja could be, Kakashi couldn't just bear telling Tsunade about his precious students.

"I am sure, Kakashi, that you have seen me two years ago." Naruto began to talk, as he smiled as if he was severing his head. "You know, I never liked that time when you and that stupid ANBU intervened with _that_ plan. If you have just not gone _there_, then the talk with Kumogakure would have gone smoothly." He started walking nearer to Kakashi, totally ignoring the blond Hokage he was just talking lately. "But I just wonder that the Hokage didn't know anything about our meeting that time…" He grinned slyly. "Did you fear exposing my identity? Oh Kami––" He suddenly burst. "You still cared for _me_, do you?" He then gave off a laugh.

"What is he saying Kakashi?!" Tsunade yelled. She then noticed the weakness Kakashi's gaze was giving, and that part could be understood deeply. Indeed, Kakashi had known Naruto to be alive in those years, and, clearly, he hadn't told her any of it. But the other question quickly came into her mind. The ANBU Naruto talked about. She could somewhat understand why Kakashi hid the truth from her… but she didn't receive any reports of sightings from _that _ANBU. Could they possibly…?

"I'm sorry, Hokage-sama." Kakashi could only say.

"It seems that there is a break in your power, Hokage." Naruto commented. "Even Kakashi – one of the most loyal elite ninja of Konoha – admits that he _lied _to his superior. What a pity, Hokage-sama…" He continued to talk sarcastically.

"Enough!" Tsunade suddenly exclaimed and charged towards the Tsuchikage. Putting more chakra than normal into her fists, Tsundade thought that she would make sure that the Tsuchikage wouldn't live to see another day. As her fist neared its target, a soft voice spoke that frightened her.

Naruto stopped her fist by using his index finger.

"Maa, maa… I told you we're here to talk diplomatically, not through violence, Hokage-sama." Naruto said, slowly lowering Tsunade's hand out of his way. "Or is that an act of aggression, I should say?"

Tsunade glared at him.

"Alright." The woman declared. "I shall gamble with you."

"That's just fine, Tsunade-sama. As long as you don't resolve to violence, then we can agree on something." Naruto replied.

"If you are really Naruto, then I'll make my first gamble with you." Tsunade spoke, confidence tainting her words. "I will accept the offer of talking to you, but I request that you _come _inside Konoha _alone_."

Naruto frowned. It wasn't a fair choice. Naruto, with his mind, could practically see over a hundred scenes that he could lead into by accepting the proposition being given by the Hokage. And all of those formed one conclusion; he was going to be ambushed if he was brought inside without company. With that, he had a firm decision that he would not accept the plan offered by Tsunade.

"I think that your proposal is poorly made." Naruto said. "I decline."

"Really?" Tsunade smirked. "I will show you the information of your _roots_, Naruto, if you are to come with us inside."

Naruto was shocked by the gravity of the offer Tsunade gave. The suggestion made Naruto stop and reconsider every plan that he brought with him. _It didn't come to my senses_, Naruto thought as he looked back at Sasuke. The latter just stared without fail, suggesting him that he didn't thought of that too. Naruto returned his gaze to the blond Hokage, still trying to imagine the possible happenings that he might experience if he was to accept it. After all, it was the _final _information he wanted to know in Konoha. And, if he could consider it, it was the most important information that the Hidden Leaf Village _robbed _from him.

He was determined to know _everything_.

"Let my right hand man come with me, and I'll join you inside."

**. . .**

Naruto wasn't minding the stares that were being thrown to him, while he and the other kage were walking under the huge gates of the western wall. After all many years of being scrutinized, Naruto had already known that it was useless to give attention to the people that gave those irritating burning look. And as he had known it from experience, staring was the last thing a person could do if he had no more option in one situation. And they were staring. Konoha had nothing more to offer to him but to stare at him – _again_. Even though he was just deflecting those eyes, he could clearly see the _shock _in the faces of the ninjas that were seeing him. When his head had turned left, he saw a skinny man with a ponytail. Upon realizing the identity of the person, Naruto made another look to confirm it. _Shikamaru_. Naruto then poked Sasuke in his head, which quickly caught the attention of the other man.

"What is it, Tsuchikage-_sama_?" Sasuke asked, tints of annoyance clearly infested his tone.

"Eight o'clock." Naruto replied briefly.

Sasuke slowly turned his head left and to the direction that Naruto told him. Upon seeing that person Nartuo wanted to point him, he called the attention of his kage. "Shikamaru?"

"Yeah." Naruto answered. "How is he?"

"Looking at you."

"What else?"

"You know you have your own eyes to see."

"I just don't want to make eye contact." Naruto answered.

"He's just staring. He looked very, very surprised." Sasuke said.

"As I expected."

**. . .**

Shikamaru did conclude almost three years ago that the Hokage _lied _about the information concerning the death of Naruto. And he could just the see the visible proof that Naruto was well and alive. But the scenario laid in front of them wasn't just the thing he'd expect. _The Tsuchikage… is Naruto?_ His mind was in doubt. He suddenly held his hand in a seal and he said, "Kai." When nothing happened in his surrounding, Shikamaru's final hope that the sight was just a _terrible _genjutsu had crumbled. His eyes really weren't mocking him. The truth was was _walking _along the streets of Konoha.

But what bothered him wasn't the fact that Naruto was alive. No – he was perfectly glad about it. What just hit him in his head was the image of Naruto being the Tsuchikage and the head of the invasion of Konoha.

Would Naruto ever consider _attacking _the village where he came from? It was the question that suddenly plagued the mind of Shikamaru, and the answer that he knew came from the metal image of Naruto he projected in his mind. 'I will become Hokage and protect Konoha, believe it!' And that was the thing he believed, since he knew that Naruto wouldn't really dare to do it. Because he knew Naruto had always fulfilled what his loudmouth always pledged.

But there were two things that he hadn't done – yet.

First was his goal of taking Sasuke back to Konoha. Everyone knew that Naruto had almost gone while in his likeness to return his friend back to the village. Naruto had been practically bothering even the Hokage to sent him out to the village just for him to have a mission to retake Sasuke from the clutches of Orochimaru. The last mission that they had done to retrieve Sasuke ended to near-deaths of his team back then. Chōji and Neji were almost left dead when they fought Jirōbō and Kidōmaru. Akamaru and Kiba were saved from Sakon and Ukon by the arrival of Kankurō. He was then saved by Temari from Tayuya. He had known that Naruto had a hard time in fighting Kimimaro, and he was saved by Lee in the process. He had also found out after the mission that Lee had been helped by Gaara too and the two were saved when Kimimaro had finally succumbed to his disease.

As he continued to ponder about the part of Naruto's goal of taking Sasuke back, he felt he was suddenly stabbed by a kunai in his heart when he saw someone looked at him and observed him for a while. Black orbs looked at him analysis before removing his gaze and back to the Tsuchikage. _Isn't that… Sasuke?!_ And then his mind went trembling when the realization of the presence of Sasuke in the small convoy was actualized.

Naruto had completed another goal _already_.

**. . .**

"Naruto." The deep voice of Sasuke quickly caught the awareness of his companion.

"What?" Naruto sounded indifferent.

"What are we going to do with the ANBUs following us?"

"They will not do anything stupid as their as their Hokage wills it." Naruto answered. "And stopped being so paranoid if you know you can defeat them all."

"I'm not being paranoid…" Sasuke turned his head away from the Tsuchikage, before adding, "dobe."

Naruto stopped walking and looked at Sasuke. The latter raised an eyebrow as he discerned the meaning written all over the blond's face. After some five seconds of looking at each other, the two suddenly turned in blur.

"Naruto!" Sasuke exclaimed when he stopped fist before it could collide in his face. "Are you insane?!" He threw the hand away before he tried to kick Naruto in his stomach. Naruto flipped backwards before he could be hit.

"You started it, Teme!" Naruto replied.

**. . .**

Kakashi quickly covered Tsunade when the two Iwa-nins became hostile. But as soon as he discovered that the attacks were directed with each other, Kakashi sighed.

At least there was still some Naruto and some Sasuke left in the beings of those two.

But it was only Kakashi that perceived that antics as normal. As soon as the fight ensued, it alerted the already prepared ANBUs following the Hokage and Tsuchikage. As an action of safety, they began to jump into a circular defensive position at the Hokage. There were at least ten of them, with their kunai already at hand.

From the blur that moved gracefully across the terrain, senbons appeared flying to specific targets. The attack came without warning and some ANBUs were hit in some parts of their bodies. Some were alert enough to have evaded the needles.

"I got four!" Naruto suddenly shouted; thus, stopping the sudden spar that he and Sasuke started.

"Hn." Sasuke replied. "Four." He said.

"That's so unfair." Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Sasuke threw a gaze to the two ANBUs left standing. The ANBUs showed some signs of distress, but he knew they were prepared to attack. He reflected to himself before taking an action against the possible hostility. Even before going inside Konoha, Naruto told him to make sure that he would spill any blood coming from Konoha's ninja. He couldn't understand why Nartuo would order that, but, as the Tsuchikage's right hand, he would follow him without question. Although he wanted to make an impression with the stupid ANBUs. "If you want to fight us, then go ahead."

"Sasuke, Naruto, what did you do?!" Kakashi asked the two. Naruto and Sasuke were glad that the jounin intervened with the heating moment. Sasuke was more thankful that his provocation didn't lead into a total counterattack.

"Kakashi," Naruto said coldly. "We are still in war, if you need remembering." The blond gave the Hokage a piercing look. "And if you wish to make this talk more _peaceful_, then you can consider decreasing the dangerous people around me. Having an ANBU squad following me is simply _unhealthy _for our talk." He started walking again, which prompted Sasuke to follow. "Don't worry, they aren't dead. We just paralyzed all of them." Naruto continued. "But if you really want more ninjas protecting the precious Hokage, fine." He looked at the small alley that was placed along their route. "You can go from hiding, Shikamaru. It seems that Kakashi and Tsunade-sama needed your protection."

A body started walking from the place, and the surprise on the face of Shikamaru was obviously plastered. Naruto just gave him a small nod, while Sasuke was still giving calculating glares. He slowly moved nearer to Kakashi's position.

"Kakashi," Shikamaru started to talk in a very soft voice, but making sure that the older ninja would hear him. "You just took Konoha's greatest threat inside the village. That's not a very good plan, you know?" Shikamaru didn't release the gaze he had on Naruto.

"I know. But it's the Hokage's plan." Kakashi answered, motioning the Tsuchikage and Sasuke to continue walking, while he told the other two ANBUs to carry out the bodies of the unconscious ANBUs out of there. "But I'm pretty sure that Konoha can handle those two."

"Sasuke looks like a bomb waiting to explode as soon as we reach the weakest point in Konoha." Shikamaru said at Kakashi.

"You know that's like him from the beginning."

"Yes." Shikamaru sighed. "But Naruto looked like he is oil wanting to kindle the fire from the exploding bomb, you know?" He sighed again. "Troublesome."

"That is when I should say that since from the start, Naruto and Sasuke have been some _unlikely _partnership." Kakashi said. "But… I will stop them if they meant to destroy the village."

"That has been the meaning of Iwa attacking Konoha, Kakashi." Shikamaru said seriously. "As the last free village among the elemental countries, Iwa will have no choice but to relinquish every ninja they have to ultimately take down the opponent." He glanced back at the pair following them. "I hope you are aware that they are saving the best for last."

"Last time, two villages attacked Konoha with us unprepared." Kakashi said, frustration clearly tainting his statements. "We won and survived."

"Kakashi, this is clearly different from last time." Shikamaru pointed. "Suna and Oto were defeated because their ultimate weapon to destroy Konoha was unfortunately abducted away from their main attacking force." Shikamaru mumbled a 'troublesome' again. "You know it was Naruto who stopped the One-tailed tanuki."

"But––" Kakashi's answer went cut when Shikamaru talked again.

"Suna and Kumo were defeated by Iwa without too much difficulty. And the one who led them was the same person who had made us win the war with those two." Shikamaru said.

"You're overestimating Naruto too much."

"And to hear it from the mouth of the one who taught him…" Shikamaru replied. "Tell me; are you happy for your former students? Are you still proud of them?"

**. . .**

The group suddenly stopped walking when they were in front of the Academy gates. Sasuke looked at Naruto, when the blond had flared his chakra after stopping his in his steps.

"My clone has just been dispersed." Naruto announced. "My ninjas have received the message of the temporary stand-down and compliance will be met without fail." After speaking, the structure of the academy attracted his attention; he let his eyes drift into the visage of the building, and looked at it impassively for some seconds.

There was something forming in Naruto's chest. Some emotions that he had suppressed had started to resurface, much to his chagrin. Whenever he remembered his younger years, he could always see the loneliness he felt when he was alone and trying to get the attention of the people around him. He had accepted the truth of his lonesomeness – he had accepted the shunning the villagers often gave him. And from that time on, he began to be a prankster, setting Konoha into a very large playground. He too accepted the irritation and anger being thrown to him because of his pranks. He had accepted the fact that the people were angry of him because of the things that brought him happiness. He accepted it all without any hurt feelings. Why not? At least the villagers were treating him as an annoying _individual_, but as a _person _nonetheless – not like last time he was shunned because they stared at him without him knowing the reason why and as if he didn't exist.

And for him, _existence _in the eyes of others was one real goal he had accomplished. That was why he wanted to be Hokage.

But that was the past. Although he accomplished it in a different situation. He was a kage now and many people acknowledge the things he had done. He was a kage whose adversary was Konoha. But he would still grant the second part of his past dream – he was going to spare Konoha of its imminent _destruction_, at least.

"Where is Iruka-sensei?" Naruto suddenly asked aloud.

It caught the attention of Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Tsunade. When they thought that Naruto had lost all his connections to Konoha… they were stunned to hear the name coming from his mouth. It was not too surprising though, they all knew that Naruto and Iruka had some connections in the past.

"He's in the Hokage tower." Shikamaru answered him.

Naruto smiled weakly, which everyone saw.

Naruto thought for a while about his former sensei. If he was in the Hokage tower, then he might be working still for the Hokage to hand missions to some genins or other ninjas requesting for missions. He was still happy that the Iruka he knew hadn't lost his passion for being a workaholic. Iruka had always been the one trying to sort out some jobs just for him to do something. He didn't know more people like him wanting to work for so long just for the sake of the pupils that he taught. Suddenly, he cringed under his own imaginations.

When he asked about where his former sensei was, Naruto was actually wanting for Iruka to see that he was already a _kage_. But that brought him back to the conclusion that he had formulated too long ago – he knew that Iruka couldn't be proud of him because he didn't become the kage of Konoha. Much more that he had declared war against the village. After all, he just wanted to see him from the long time... And since Takashi's annual arrival of information included Iruka in a very minimal basis, Naruto really wanted to find out if something had changed to the one of the very first two people that he considered his family.

But before he could continue with his musings, Naruto felt a kunai pointing into his throat.

He looked back to the group, only to see the surprised looks of Kakashi and Tsunade.

"ANBU-san, as I remember, you are the one who's always with Kakashi in the past months, aren't you?" Naruto asked calmly. He then turned his attention to Sasuke. "You teme, I thought I brought you along with me to protect me?"

"I'm sorry, Tsuchikage-sama." Sasuke bowed. "But, he was too fast…" Naruto could hear the shock in Sasuke's tone. It was not surprising though; he too didn't feel his presence while the group was walking.

"ANBU-san, I hope you're not making a mistake in handling me this way. As you know, I and your Hokage will have a chat to sort this thing out." He hissed. "You don't want interfering."

"Stop it, Swan!" Tsunade yelled. "Let go of the Tsuchikage!"

"Swan?" Naruto said it in a curious tone. "Why is it that when we meet you, you have a different name?" He looked at Kakashi. "The first time I met you, you were still Egret back then…"

The name suddenly registered in Tsunade's mind. Three years ago, she ordered an ANBU to patrol the Kusagakure-Fire border since some rogues have been populating the area. Kakashi had been together with that ANBU since he insisted he wanted to come as well. She could still clearly remember the name she gave the ANBU when he handed the mission – Egret.

That meant Kakashi and the ANBU had met Naruto not just two years ago. It was _three _years, and it was even the time before she made the announcement about Naruto's supposed to be death. "Kakashi! What are you not telling me?!"

"I'm sorry, Tsunade-sama." Kakashi apologized. "If what I thought is right, when we fought him, he was in a henge. We didn't know it was him."

"That's not still an excuse for not telling everything to your superior, Kakashi." A voice suddenly came from the nearest tree from the group. Everyone looked and saw that it was Naruto – smiling. He then looked back at Swan and his prisoner. "Shikamaru, thank you for being the wrong person captured by ANBU-san."

Everyone stared at the ANBU and Shikamaru, only for the latter almost yelled in surprise.

"Genjutsu." The ANBU spoke.

"Kakashi, I almost forgot," Naruto started to talk, looking at the silver-haired ninja who was still standing near Tsunade. "I would like to request the Hokage for us to be allowed to bring in another ninja from our village. Don't worry, he's our greatest advisor and you will wish for him to be included in our diplomatic talks."

Kakashi could only glare to Naruto.

"Kakashi, would you not want to see Kakumo-ojisan again?" Naruto grinned again.

Kakashi stood surprised upon hearing the name.

**3 hours after**

"This is preposterous!" Kakashi blurted out, slamming his fist onto the table of the small meeting room. "You can't simply ask Konoha to surrender!"

"Kakashi-san," the masked Kakumo looked at the silver-haired ninja. "It has been decided from the very beginning that Konoha will fall in this war. So, please, weigh your options correctly, or we will be forced to use our last remaining _aces_." The masked-clad advisor from Iwagakure looked straightly at Kakashi, his eyes flashing some dangerous messages to the latter.

"You can't simply frighten us."

"Really?" Kakumo replied. "We have no choice then…" The man suddenly stood from his place and quickly faced the direction of the Hokage. He slowly raised his left hand and pointed it to Kakashi. "Hokage-sama, it seems that there has been some terrible misunderstanding here." He smirked under his mask. "Your famous Copycat ninja haven't told you _half _of the real story behind all."

"No!"


End file.
